An Internal Auditor at the American International School Abuja, Nicholas Okehone, has told the court that a total of $760,910.84 was paid as advance school fees for the children of former Yahaya Bello.
Okehone made the disclosure while testifying as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Bello before the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama on Thursday.
Bello is facing a 16-count charge involving alleged criminal breach of trust and money laundering amounting to ₦110.4 billion. The case was instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The former governor is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The witness gave his testimony before Justice Maryanne Anineh, who is presiding over the matter. He was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro.
During his testimony, Okehone confirmed that Bello had four children enrolled at the school.
Asked if he knew the defendant, he responded, “Yes, I know him as a parent. He has children in my institution. He has four children at the American International School, Abuja.”
The witness listed the children as Zahra Fatima, Na’ima, Nana Fatima Bello, and Farid Bello. He also stated that Zayyan Ali Bello, the son of Ali Bello, a nephew of the former governor, was included among the beneficiaries of the payments.
Okehone confirmed that several documents had earlier been submitted before the court, including certificates of identification, admission letters, an agreement covering pre-payment of school fees until graduation, bank transfer records from institutions in the United States, email correspondence between the school and Ali Bello, and financial records from Zenith Bank and TD Bank.
He also referenced letters exchanged between the school and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission regarding the refund of the school fees.
Despite objections raised by defence counsel led by Paul Daudu, who indicated they would address their concerns in their final written submissions, Justice Anineh admitted the documents into evidence as Exhibits AX1 to AX13.
While identifying one of the documents, Exhibit AX4, Okehone explained that it was an agreement titled “Pre-Paid School Fees Until Graduation.”
According to him, the agreement was signed by Grace Hudge and Ali Bello on behalf of the Bello family.
The agreement listed the students as Farid Bello, Zahra Bello, Na’ima Bello and Nana Fatima Bello, while also including Zayyan Ali Bello as a future student.
Okehone told the court that the school received the payments through several international transfers. He mentioned transfers including $49,600 from Forza Oil and Gas for Zahra Omanike Bello, $44,700 from the same company for Fatima Bello, $11,000 from Whales Oil and Gas for Farida Oricha, $78,160 from Alyeshua Solutions Services for Fatima Bello, and $42,170 from the same firm for Na’ima Ohunene Bello.
He also said Unnati General Trading LLC transferred several payments of $75,000 through First Abu Dhabi Bank for Na’ima, Farid, Fatima and Zahra Bello.
According to the witness, another $100,000 transfer came from Manzi Issa in Kampala for Zayyad Ali Bello, while Dada Grand Merchant Limited paid $90,000 for Zainab Ali Bello.
He further testified that the school’s account with TD Bank recorded additional inflows, including payments of $29,575, $44,675, $78,135, $42,145 and $74,920.71, with four of the transactions occurring on September 7.
“I confirm that all the payments are in line with the agreement to pay school fees in advance,” the witness said.
Okehone added that the school later refunded the money after communicating with the anti-corruption agency.
“The American International School wrote to the EFCC indicating its intention to refund the school fees paid. The EFCC then provided account details, and the school refunded the total sum of $760,910.84 to an EFCC account with the Central Bank of Nigeria,” he said.
Earlier in the proceedings, another witness, Yakubu Haruna, testified about the sale of a property located at No. 35 Danube Street in Maitama, Abuja.
He told the court that the property, which comprises four detached housing units, belonged to Palchi Nigeria Limited, whose director is Faruk Mustapha.
Haruna said the property was sold in January 2022 to White Tree Nigeria Limited for ₦950 million, paid in United States dollars.
According to him, the payment was delivered at an office located in Zone 4, Abuja.
“A man came with the dollar equivalent of ₦950 million in Ghana-Must-Go bags. After confirmation, my client directed the Bureau de Change operator, Murtala Maigari, to take custody of the money,” he said.
He added that after confirming the payment, the property title documents were handed over to the buyer.
Other witnesses also testified in the case. A compliance officer with Access Bank, Olomotane Egoro, appeared before the court alongside James Bem Igbakymeh.
Igbakymeh told the court he facilitated the sale of another property located on Durban Street in Wuse II, Abuja, owned by SFC Foods Limited, for ₦650 million.
He explained that a man identified as Shehu Bello negotiated the purchase and that payments were processed through accounts belonging to SFC Foods Limited and JIT Agric Limited via Bureau de Change operators.
The witness added that he later responded to an invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and submitted transaction documents to investigators.
Another prosecution witness, Mohammed Abdulaziz, testified that Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company Limited sold a plot of land measuring 8,240.72 square metres at Plot 1160, Cadastral Zone C03, Gwarimpa II District, Abuja, to Azba Real Estate Limited for ₦100 million.
He said the payments were made through Keystone Bank in several tranches by Murtala Maigari on behalf of Ali Bello.
The court admitted the Deed of Assignment and Irrevocable Power of Attorney relating to the transaction as Exhibits AW1 and AW2.
After hearing the testimonies, Justice Anineh adjourned the matter to May 5 and 8, as well as June 16 and 17, 2026, for the hearing of pending applications and continuation of the trial.
What you should know
Yahaya Bello governed Kogi State from 2016 to 2024 and is currently facing charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged money laundering and misappropriation of public funds amounting to ₦110.4 billion.
The ongoing trial at the Federal Capital Territory High Court has attracted significant national attention due to the scale of the alleged transactions and the involvement of multiple witnesses, financial institutions and property deals linked to the case.
