EFCC witness tells court no funds from Kogi Govt or Yahaya Bello appeared in AISA’s account for children’s school fees; court admits key judgment.
No Transfer of Funds from Kogi Government to AISA EFCC Witness Testifies in Yahaya Bello Trial
An EFCC witness, Mr. Nicholas Ojehomon, has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that no funds were transferred from the Kogi State Government or any of its local governments to the American International School, Abuja (AISA), for the payment of school fees for the children of former Governor Yahaya Bello.
Ojehomon, an internal auditor at AISA and the third prosecution witness (PW-3) in the ongoing money laundering trial of the former governor, made the statement on Thursday while being cross-examined by Joseph Daudu, SAN, counsel to Bello.
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When presented with AISA’s bank statement (Exhibit 16), Ojehomon confirmed under oath that neither the Kogi State Government, any local government in the state, nor Yahaya Bello’s name appeared among those who transferred funds into the school’s account.
Asked if the names of those who made payments for school fees typically appear in the account records, the witness confirmed that they do and other parents’ names were listed in the statement.
Earlier, Justice Emeka Nwite ruled against the EFCC’s objection to admitting a previous FCT High Court judgment (Exhibit 19) related to the case. The EFCC had opposed the document’s admissibility, arguing it was premature since the prosecution had not closed its case. But the judge disagreed, stating the document met the evidentiary requirements under Sections 102 and 104 of the Evidence Act.
The judgment, originally delivered in Ali Bello vs. AISA, declared that there was no court order requiring the school to refund fees to the EFCC and upheld the legitimacy of a future fee agreement between the school and the Bello family.
According to the judgment, AISA acted outside the law by paying money to the EFCC without a court directive and could not unilaterally alter the fee agreement.
EFCC counsel Olukayode Enitan, SAN, objected when the defence asked the witness to read parts of the judgment, but Justice Nwite allowed the defence to proceed.
The trial was adjourned to May 9, 2025, for continuation.
