The third prosecution witness in the money laundering case against former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has testified that there was no record of funds transferred from the Kogi State Government or any of its local governments to the American International School, Abuja (AISA).
Testifying before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, Nicholas Ojehomon, an internal auditor at AISA, confirmed under cross-examination by defence counsel Joseph Daudu, SAN, that no transactions linked to Yahaya Bello appeared in the school’s financial documents.
He also acknowledged that there were no transfers originating from any Kogi State Government accounts.
The court session also saw Justice Emeka Nwite admit into evidence a judgment from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court (Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/2574/2023) between Ali Bello and the Incorporated Trustees of AISA.
The EFCC had objected to the admissibility of the judgment, arguing it was a criminal case and the defence should not introduce documents before the prosecution concluded its case.
However, Justice Nwite overruled the objection, stating that the era of technicalities had given way to substantial justice.
“Admissibility of documents is strictly guided by law as long as it satisfies Section 102 and 104 of the Evidence Act,” he said, marking the judgment as Exhibit 19.
During cross-examination, the defence asked the witness to read portions of the admitted judgment.
Though the prosecution objected on grounds that the witness was not a legal expert, the judge allowed the witness to proceed.
The judgment held that AISA was under no legal obligation to refund school fees to the EFCC without a valid court order and reaffirmed that AISA had a binding agreement with the Bello family concerning future tuition payments. It stated there was no ruling declaring the funds as proceeds of money laundering, nor any court order for the school to repay the money to the EFCC.
Ojehomon further acknowledged that the $760,910 payment made to the school bore no reference to Yahaya Bello’s name and confirmed no evidence showed the money originated from any government source in Kogi State.
The case was adjourned until May 9, 2025, for the continuation of trial.