American school confirms Yahaya Bello’s payment of children future school fees in court

The management of American International School told the Federal High Court in Abuja that former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, paid his children’s school fees up until graduation in dollars

Bello is being prosecuted by the EFCC, which has accused him of paying $760,000 in advance for his children’s school fees shortly before leaving office.

The witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, revealed this to the court on Thursday.

Ojehomon told the court that he did not know Yahya Bello personally at the time but was aware that he was a parent who had enrolled four of his children in the school.

He identified the former governor’s children who were enrolled in the school as Zayan Bello, Zara Bello, Farid Bello, Na’ima Bello, and Nana Fatima Bello.

He told the court that the former governor paid $90,074 for Farid Bello, $87,470 for Zara Bello, $26,241 for Na’ima Bello, and $18,707 for Nana Bello.

“Mr Ali Bello contacted the American International School, Abuja, on Friday, August 13, requesting to pay the Bello children’s school fees until they graduate. The school management accepted his offer,” said Ojehomon.

He tendered the agreement for prepaid tuition fees to the court, which, upon examination, confirmed that Ali Bello, Yahaya Bello’s cousin, had contacted the school in 2021 to pay the children’s fees in advance until their graduation.

The prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, also tendered some documents, including email correspondences between Ali Bello, Yahaya Bello’s cousin, and the school, statements of account from TD Bank USA and the American International School, certified copies of the AISA admission letters to the defendant’s children, a contractual agreement for prepaid tuition until graduation and teller copies of payments to the court.

The court has admitted these documents as exhibits.

The school requested a valid account number from the EFCC to refund the fees. The refund is to be made in a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account.