Yahaya Bello: No transfer of funds from Kogi Govt to American Int’l School – EFCC witness
Yahaya Bello: No transfer of funds from Kogi Govt to American Int’l School – EFCC witness
May 8, 2025
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Yahaya Bello: No transfer of funds from Kogi Govt to American Int’l School – EFCC witness
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A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, Nicholas Ojehomon, on Thursday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that neither Kogi State Government nor any of its local governments ever transferred funds into the bank account of the American International School in Abuja.
The 3rd prosecution witness in the alleged money laundering charges instituted by EFCC against the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, also said Yahaya Bello’s name never appeared among the parents that paid school fees for their children.
During cross-examination by Yahaya Bello’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, Nicholas Ojehomon, an internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja, after perusing the school bank account statement, insisted that there was no transfer bearing the name Yahaya Bello in the documents.
Justice Emeka Nwite had earlier rejected the EFCC’s objection to the admissibility of a judgment of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in suit number FCT/HC/CV/2574/2023 between Mr Ali Bello and Incorporated Trustees of American International School.
The judge had, at the last hearing, adjourned for ruling on the admissibility of the judgment, which had decided the issue of payment of fees or refund in the ongoing case in favour of the defendant.
While delivering his ruling, he said the objection of the prosecution was preemptive, adding that the court had since moved away from the platform of technicalities to the platform of substantial justice.
The judge recalled that the EFCC lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, had, at the last hearing on March 7, 2025, objected to the admissibility of the documents, saying the trial was a criminal trial and the defendant could not tender documents when the prosecution had not closed its case.
He therefore urged the court to reject the document.
Counsel to the defendant, Joseph Daudu, SAN, had, however, argued that the admissibility of the document was exclusively by the principle of relevance.
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Nwite said the issue of tendering documents was governed by the law, looking at “whether the facts are pleaded, whether the documents are relevant, whether the documents are admissible”.
He added, “Admissibility of documents is strictly guided by law as far as it satisfies the provision of Section 102 and 104 of the Evidence Act.
“The question is: at what point can the defendant tender documents?”
Justice Nwite said the court was inclined to agree with the counsel to the defendant, noting that the court was already on the platform of substantial justice.
“Consequently, the argument that the defence cannot present the document is hereby discountenanced,” the judge declared.
