NIGERIA: Why U.S. School Withheld Part Of Yahaya Bello’s Children’s Fees – Witness Sheds Light In Court 

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

The ongoing trial of former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello, took a technical turn on Thursday, as fresh revelations emerged over why an American-styled school in Abuja withheld $84,942 from funds paid as fees for the ex-governor’s children.

The update on the proceeding was made available by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday.

Testifying before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the third prosecution witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, an auditor with the American International School Abuja (AISA), clarified that the school retained the amount because it covered tuition already rendered.

The witness effectively draws a line between legitimate earnings and suspect advance payments.

According to Ojehomon, AISA had refunded \$760,910.84 out of the \$845,852.84 that was linked to the school fees of Bello’s children and traced by the EFCC as suspected proceeds of crime.

The commission had demanded a full refund, but the school opted to hold back the difference.

“The \$760,910.84 was the portion of the school fees paid in advance and was refunded to the EFCC. The remaining \$84,942 was for tuition already rendered and therefore considered legitimate by the school,” the witness said under cross-examination.

The case touches on a sensitive frontier in Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight, how international-standard institutions respond when tainted funds pass through them.

Ojehomon maintained that the decision to retain the balance was a unilateral one made by the school based on its internal accounting and billing procedures.

He insisted that the EFCC did not instruct the school to keep any part of the funds.

The defence team, led by J.B. Daudu, SAN, tried to press the witness into offering a broader opinion on the legitimacy of the school’s decision.

But prosecution counsel Olukayode Eniola, SAN, raised an objection, accusing the defence of veering into speculation.

“He is not the one on trial and can not be dragged into conjecture. The questions should be limited to the documents and facts,” Eniola argued.

The tension in the courtroom briefly escalated when the defence sought an adjournment to review documents or, alternatively, a temporary stand-down.

Prosecution lead counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, pushed back sharply.

“This is a case of national interest. I have 28 witnesses, and only three have testified. This delay is deliberate and harmful to the prosecution,” Pinheiro stated.

Justice Nwite, in a bid to restore momentum, adjourned the trial to Friday, May 9, and directed that all exhibits be reviewed ahead of time to avoid further procedural bottlenecks.

The EFCC is prosecuting Bello on a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving N80.2 billion, an amount that continues to fuel public outcry.