Yahaya Bello Faces Off With EFCC as Witness Reveals $720K School Fees Ties

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  On Thursday, May 8, the case surrounding Yahaya Bello, who previously served as the governor of Kogi State, experienced an unexpected twist during his hearing at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
  
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  In the course of the day’s proceedings, Nicholas Ohehomon, who was testifying as a witness for the EFCC and also works as an auditor at the American International School, gave testimony in court regarding Bello’s purported prepayment of tuition fees for his kids.
  
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  In 2024, Ola Olukoyede, who serves as the EFCC chairperson, claimed that the previous governor had withdrawn $720,000 from Kogi’s account for an initial payment.
  

FCT, Abuja –

A new development surfaced in the legal battle between ex-Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and the EFCC when hearings commenced at the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Nicholas Ohehomon, who testified as a prosecutor’s witness and was associated with auditing the American International School, informed the court that the Kogi state government had failed to make any transfers for paying Yahaya Bello’s offspring’s tuition at the institution.

What accusations has the EFCC made against Yahaya Bello?

The ex-governor is confronting a 19-count indictment concerning alleged money laundering charges totaling N80 billion.

Ohehomon gave testimony in court regarding the payment of school fees for Bello’s offspring. As an internal auditor, Ohehomon stated that the tuition was prepaid up to their graduation and mentioned that the educational institution returned the funds to an account specified by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In the course of cross-examination, Ohehomon’s statements revealed that the bank records for the American institution failed to indicate any direct payments originating from the Kogi state government, local administrations within Kogi, or Yahaya Bello personally.

The witness verified that other parents deposited school fees into the account, with their names listed in the transaction record.

Bello’s attorney challenges EFCC’s testimony

Joseph Daudu, the defense attorney, interrogated Ohehomon regarding the bank statement that had been marked as “Exhibit 16.” The witness confirmed that this document included the names of the individuals who sent money to the account, specifically identifying them as the parents.

During the proceedings, Judge Emeka Nwite dismissed the EFCC’s attempt to prevent Bello from submitting an earlier court document as evidence in his current trial.

Earlier, Daudu had petitioned the FCT High Court in the lawsuit involving Ali Bello, who is the former governor’s nephew, and the Incorporated Trustees of American International School.

He contended in his argument that the document held greater significance during the current trial, despite being a ruling from a different court.

The EFCC attorney dismisses Yahaya Bello’s petition.

Nevertheless, Kemi Pinhero from the EFCC prosecution team opposed the admission of the document. She argued that the prosecution’s case was still ongoing.

Remember that in April 2024, Chairman Ola Olukoyede of the EFCC brought forward the claim that the previous governor had taken $720,000 from the Kogi state funds to prepay for their kids’ tuition at school.

Yahaya Bello complies with EFCC’s request for appearance

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Previously mentioned was the news that Bello eventually responded to the EFCC’s summons for interrogation.

The media office of Bello disclosed this news on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, noting that the ex-governor cooperated with the EFCC due to his reverence for legal principles.