A witness on Thursday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that there was no evidence linking former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to a $760,910 payment made to the American International School, Abuja (AISA).
Nicholas Ojehomon, an internal auditor at the school, said during cross-examination that neither Bello nor the Kogi State government was listed in any records connected to the payment.
“There is no such name,” Ojehomon replied when asked if the funds came from the state or any of its local governments.
The question was posed by defence counsel Joseph Daudu (SAN), who is representing Bello in a 19-count money laundering trial involving N80.2 billion brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ojehomon’s testimony followed the court’s decision to admit a previous judgment from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court as evidence. The ruling—now marked as Exhibit 19—was admitted despite opposition from the EFCC.
Justice Emeka Nwite dismissed the EFCC’s objection, stating that admissibility is based on relevance and compliance with the Evidence Act, not trial stage. He cited Sections 102 and 104 in his ruling.
The admitted civil judgment—case number FCT/HC/CV/2574/2023—stemmed from a legal dispute between the Kogi State Chief of Staff, Ali Bello, and AISA over the school fees. It affirmed the legality of the payment and stated that the school was not under obligation to refund the funds to the EFCC, which claimed they were public monies.
Though EFCC counsel Olukayode Enitan (SAN) objected to the witness reading the court ruling aloud, Daudu clarified that the witness was not interpreting the document but simply reading it.
Ojehomon proceeded to read sections of the judgment confirming the validity of the agreement between the school and the Bello family, which the court said could not be voided without a specific court order.
The testimony challenges EFCC’s claim that the school fees were funded through laundered state money.
The case was adjourned to May 9, 2025, for continuation of trial.
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