American school confirms ex-governor Yahaya Bello’s advance payment of $720,000 in court filing

Details of how the American International School Abuja offered to refund $720,000 allegedly paid by a former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, for his children’s tuition fees have emerged.

The school’s letter, which went viral online on Friday, showed that the former governor paid the money in August 2021, in advance for school terms his children had yet to use.

The letter is part of the exhibits the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed in support of the N80 billion money laundering charges it instituted against Mr Bello after he left office in January.

The case is before the Federal High Court in Abuja. EFCC has yet to arraign Mr Bello, who has skipped two court sessions and managed to avoid arrest by the commission.

EFCC chairperson Olanipekun Olukoyede, earlier on Tuesday, alleged that Mr Bello made an advance payment of his children’s fees of over $700,000 allegedly taken from the state coffers.

He alleged that Mr Bello converted the money taken from the Kogi State treasury to dollars with which he paid the school fees. He urged the members of the public to approach the Federal High Court to obtain certified copies of records filed by the commission as evidence against the former governor.

On Friday, the letter written by the American International School Abuja the EFCC seeking to refund the money emerged online. The school sent the letter in 2022, apparently during investigative activities focusing on money trails that led the commission to the school.

Mr Bello has denied the allegation.

Meanwhile, in the letter dated 24 October 2022, the school asked the EFCC to provide banking details for the refund of fees paid for the children of Yahaya Bello.

The letter, addressed to the Lagos zonal Commander of the anti-graft agency by the school, said the sum of $845,852 has been paid in tuition “since the 7 September 2021 to date”.

“Please forward to us an official written request, with the authentic banking details of the EFCC, for the refund of the above-mentioned funds as previously indicated as part of your investigation into the alleged money laundering activities by the Bello family,” the letter read in part.

It added: “We have calculated the net amount to be transferred and refunded to the State, after deducting the educational services rendered as $760,910.84. (Seven Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ten US Dollars and Eighty Four cents).

“No further additional fees are expected in respect of tuition as the students’ fees have now been settled until they graduate from ASIA.”

Greg Hughes, who signed the letter on behalf of the school, disclosed that “Ali Bello contacted the school on Friday 13 August 2021 requesting to pay the family school fees in advance until the students graduate from High School.”

Ali Bello, a nephew of the former governor, faces N10 billion money laundering charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The EFCC has since declared former governor Bello wanted, with the Nigeria Immigration Service placing the ex-governor on a watchlist.

READ ALSO: Court summons EFCC chair for alleged contempt over moves to arrest Yahaya Bello 

How fees were paid

Payment receipts for the transaction between Mr Bello and the American school, filed as exhibits in the case against Mr Bello, surfaced on social media on Friday.

The receipts showed that Mr Bello paid the fees for five of his children in grade level 2 to 8 at the school.

For instance, the sum of $10,510.71 was paid on 9 September 2021, while $19,296 was paid on the same day.

For Mr Bello’s third child, $13,744.29 was paid into the American school’s bank account on 25 January 2022. Similarly, the former governor paid $21,470 on behalf of the third child at the school.

On 7 September 2021, Mr Bello allegedly paid $17,994, while on 19 October 2022, $21,470 was paid to the American school by the former governor.

The former governor’s arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja has been stalled on two occasions as Mr Bello has refused to appear in court, citing a court judgement barring EFCC from arresting him.