A prosecution witness on Thursday, March 12, 2026, told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja how $760,910.84 was allegedly used to settle advance school fees purportedly for children of former Kogi State governor Yahaya Adoza Bello at the American International School Abuja (AISA) amid a ₦110.4 billion fraud and money‑laundering trial.
Presiding over the case before Justice Maryanne Anineh, Nicholas Okehone, an internal auditor at AISA and Prosecution Witness 14 (PW14), testified that the school received numerous international dollar transfers linked to the Bello family under a “Pre‑Paid School Fees Until Graduation” agreement.
Mr. Okehone confirmed that: Four children of the former governor — Farid Bello, Zahra Bello, Na’ima Bello and Nana Fatima Bello — were enrolled at AISA.
Also listed to benefit was Zayyan Ali Bello, the son of Ali Bello, a nephew to Yahaya Bello.
Multiple documents were tendered into evidence, including admission letters, bank statements, correspondence between AISA and individuals connected to the Bello family, and the fee‑prepayment agreement itself.
Despite strong objections from the defence, led by Paul Daudu, SAN, Justice Anineh admitted the exhibits into evidence.
According to the witness: Funds were remitted from various entities and individuals, such as Forza Oil and Gas, Whales Oil and Gas, and Alyeshua Solutions Services for payments ranging from about $11,000 to over $78,000.
Unnati General Trading LLC, via First Abu Dhabi Bank in the UAE, made several transfers of $75,000 each for some of the students.
Separate transactions of $100,000 and $90,000 were made for other recipients linked to the family from sources in Kampala, Uganda.
Mr. Okehone further showed that these payments reflected in the school’s TD Bank account in a series of consistent inflows.
The witness told court that after communication with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), AISA refunded the entire $760,910.84 to an EFCC designated account held at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“The American International School wrote to the EFCC indicating its intention to refund the school fees paid. The EFCC then provided the account details, and the school refunded the total sum,” Okehone said.
The prosecution’s exhibition of these documents and explanations forms a key part of the EFCC’s money‑laundering and criminal breach of trust case against Bello, who is being arraigned alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16‑count charge.
Earlier in the proceedings, other prosecution witnesses gave evidence on separate transactions alleged to be proceeds of improper conduct:
Prosecution Witness 13, Yakubu Haruna, narrated how a prime property at No. 35 Danube Street, Maitama, Abuja, valued at ₦950 million, was sold to White Tree Nigeria Limited, with the cash delivered in Ghana‑Must‑Go bags — a detail Haruna said was verified and held by a Bureau de Change operator.
Additional testimonies recounted sale transactions involving other properties in Wuse II, Abuja, and land in Gwarimpa, with funds routed through bank accounts and Bureau de Change operators.
After hearing the testimonies, Justice Anineh adjourned proceedings to May 5 and 8, and June 16 and 17, 2026, to hear pending applications and continue the trial.
Earlier in the week, the trial had been adjourned as the prosecution continued to call witnesses, reflecting the phased and detailed nature of the EFCC’s case, which has involved testimony from compliance officers on bank transfers and structured fund movements.
The trial of the former governor has been ongoing for months, and in previous hearings, compliance officers with major banks testified about the movement of funds through private and corporate accounts and into entities linked to Bello’s administration.
Bello has consistently denied wrongdoing, and his defence team has repeatedly challenged aspects of the prosecution’s evidence, with some objections deferred to be addressed in final written submissions.
