THE trial of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, for alleged N80.2 billion fraud continued on March 6, 2025. The third prosecution witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, took the stand before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Ojehomon, an internal auditor at the American International School in Abuja, revealed that Yahaya Bello paid his children’s school fees in dollars and in advance until their graduation. The witness stated that he didn’t know Bello personally but was aware that he was a parent to children enrolled in the school.
The witness identified Bello’s children as Zayan, Zara, Farid, Na’ima, and Nana Fatima. He confirmed that each child was admitted in different academic years. Ojehomon also testified 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 presented several documents as evidence, including certified copies of the school’s admission letters to Bello’s children, a contractual agreement for prepaid tuition fees, and teller copies of payments.
The documents also included email correspondences between Ali Bello and the school, as well as statements of account from TD Bank USA and the American International School.
Ojehomon confirmed that significant sums were paid for each child. The payments included $90,074 for Farid, $87,470 for Zara, $26,241 for Na’ima, and $18,707 for Nana. The prosecution also presented a letter from the school to the EFCC, requesting a valid account number for the refund of the fees.
Earlier, the second prosecution witness, Williams Abimbola, a compliance officer with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), testified under subpoena. Abimbola presented documents, including a statement of account belonging to the Kogi State Government House. The statement showed a total credit of N53.56 billion and a total debit of N53.55 billion between January 2019 and December 2020.
