A prosecution witness on Thursday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, how a total of $760,910.84 was allegedly paid as advance school fees for children of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello.
The witness, Nicholas Okehone, an internal auditor at the American International School Abuja, gave the account while testifying before Justice Maryanne Anineh, who is presiding over the ongoing alleged N110.4bn fraud trial.
Bello is facing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), Okehone confirmed that Bello had four children enrolled in the institution.
“Yes, I know him as a parent. He has children in my institution,” the witness told the court.
He identified the children as Zahra Fatima, Na’ima, Nana Fatima Bello and Farid Bello, adding that Zayyan Ali Bello, son of the former governor’s nephew, was also listed as a future student under a pre-payment arrangement.
Okehone said the school received several international transfers tied to the agreement, including payments from companies such as Forza Oil and Gas, Alyeshua Solutions Services and Unnati General Trading LLC.
He also disclosed that additional transfers were made from Uganda and the United Arab Emirates, noting that the inflows were reflected in the school’s TD Bank account.
“I confirm that all the payments are in line with the agreement to pay school fees in advance,” he said.
The witness further told the court that the school later refunded the entire sum after correspondence with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
According to him, the institution notified the anti-graft agency of its intention to return the funds and subsequently paid the $760,910.84 into an EFCC account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, another prosecution witness, Yakubu Haruna, a lawyer, testified on the sale of a Maitama property belonging to Palchi Nigeria Limited for ₦950m.
He said the payment was made in United States dollars delivered in cash.
“A man came with the dollar equivalent of ₦950 million in Ghana-Must-Go bags,” Haruna stated, adding that a Bureau de Change operator later took custody of the funds after verification.
Other witnesses, including bank officials and legal practitioners, also testified on separate property transactions in Abuja allegedly linked to the case.
After taking the testimonies, Justice Anineh adjourned proceedings to May 5 and 8, as well as June 16 and 17, 2026, for hearing of pending applications and continuation of trial.
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