In a significant turn during the ongoing N80.2 billion money laundering trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, a prosecution witness has testified that there is no direct evidence linking the payment of school fees for Bello’s children to either the state’s treasury or any local government account.
Nicholas Ojehomon, an Internal Auditor with the American International School, Abuja (AISA), made the statement while appearing before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday. Ojehomon is the third prosecution witness presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its high-profile case against the former governor.
During cross-examination by Yahaya Bello’s lead counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Joseph Daudu, Ojehomon was asked to scrutinize the AISA account statement to determine the origin of payments made toward the school fees in question. In response, he confirmed that neither Yahaya Bello’s name nor the names of any of Kogi State’s local government councils appeared in the financial records provided.
When pressed further on whether other parents also make payments into the school’s account, the witness affirmed, “Yes, I confirm other parents pay into the account.”
His testimony appears to cast doubt on one of the key strands of the prosecution’s case—that public funds may have been used to settle the private educational expenses of Bello’s children. While the EFCC has alleged that large sums of state money were diverted under Bello’s administration, this witness’s statement may challenge efforts to draw a direct financial connection between the alleged embezzled funds and the school fee payments in question.
The case continues to attract national attention as it unfolds, with Yahaya Bello maintaining his innocence and the EFCC pushing to substantiate its charges with concrete evidence.
The hearing has been adjourned, with the court set to reconvene for the continuation of cross-examination and presentation of further witnesses in the coming weeks.
