Nation
Witness Says Yahaya Bello’s Name Not Linked to $760,910 School Payment
A witness told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday that former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello’s name did not appear in records relating to the controversial $760,910 payment made to the American International School, Abuja (AISA).
Testifying under cross-examination, Nicholas Ojehomon, an internal auditor with AISA, stated that neither Bello nor the Kogi State government was listed in any documentation of the payment.
“There is no such name,” Ojehomon said when asked if the Kogi State government or any of its local government areas had made wire transfers to the school.
The defence counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), conducted the cross-examination, pressing the witness to clarify whether any payments were linked to the state or its officials. Ojehomon, who has worked at AISA for eight years, firmly denied any such connection.
His testimony followed the admission of a previous judgment from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court into evidence. The document, which had been challenged by the prosecution, was accepted by Justice Emeka Nwite and marked as Exhibit 19.
The ruling overruled the objection of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which argued that the document was inadmissible at this stage of the trial. Justice Nwite disagreed, describing the objection as “preemptive” and not in line with the principle of substantial justice.
Referencing Sections 102 and 104 of the Evidence Act, Nwite ruled that the relevance of the document justified its admissibility.
“The objection of the learned counsel for the prosecution is hereby overruled. The document sought to be tendered is hereby marked as Exhibit 19,” the judge declared.
The civil judgment, from case number FCT/HC/CV/2574/2023, involved a dispute between the Kogi State Chief of Staff, Ali Bello, and the Incorporated Trustees of AISA over school fees. It held that AISA was not under any legal obligation to refund the fees paid and that the payment was based on a valid future-fee agreement with the Bello family.
The defence then asked the witness to read aloud relevant portions of the judgment. EFCC counsel Olukayode Enitan (SAN) objected, arguing that interpreting a court judgment was beyond the competence of a lay witness. However, Daudu clarified that the witness was not being asked to interpret the ruling, but simply to read from the document.
In reading from Exhibit 19, Ojehomon highlighted that the court found no legal grounds for AISA to refund the money to the EFCC and reaffirmed the legitimacy of the agreement between the school and the Bello family.
This directly undermines the EFCC’s claim that the school fees were paid with misappropriated public funds from Kogi State.
Yahaya Bello is currently facing 19 counts of alleged money laundering involving N80.2 billion, brought against him by the EFCC.
The trial resumes on May 9, 2025.
