Court Overrules EFCC’s Objection, Admits Document Supporting Bello’s Defence
ABUJA – A prosecution witness called by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Thursday admitted that there was no evidence of any wired transfer from the Kogi State Government or its local governments to the account of the American International School, Abuja (AISA).
Testifying before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, the third prosecution witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, who is an internal auditor at AISA, also confirmed under cross-examination that none of the payment documents bore the name of Yahaya Bello.
Ojehomon made the admission while being cross-examined by the defendant’s lead counsel, Chief Joseph Daudu (SAN). He also acknowledged that there was no instruction or documentation linking the former governor to the disputed payment of $760,910 allegedly made for the education of his children at the school.
In a significant ruling, Justice Nwite overruled the EFCC’s objection to the admissibility of a previous judgment by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in a civil case between one Ali Bello and the Incorporated Trustees of the American International School, where the court ruled against refunding the said sum to the EFCC.
Rejecting the prosecution’s claim that the defence could not tender documents before the close of the EFCC’s case, Justice Nwite held that “the era of technicalities is gone,” and that admissibility is governed by relevance and compliance with Sections 102 and 104 of the Evidence Act. The judgment was accordingly admitted as Exhibit 19.
The witness was later asked to read portions of the civil judgment, which stated that AISA had no legal basis to refund the funds to the EFCC and that the school had entered a valid contractual agreement with the Bello family for advance tuition payments.
Prosecution counsel, Olukayode Enitan (SAN), objected to the reading of the judgment by the witness, arguing that the witness was not a legal expert. However, the court allowed the reading after Daudu insisted that he was only referring to the document as admitted evidence.
In further cross-examination, Ojehomon also admitted that the letter authorising the $760,910 payment to AISA did not carry Yahaya Bello’s name, nor was there any evidence that the payment originated from government accounts.
Responding to Daudu’s questions, he confirmed:
“There is no wired transfer from the Kogi State Government,” and also, “No, not from any local government either.”
Following the testimony, Justice Nwite adjourned the case until Friday, May 9, 2025, for the continuation of the trial.
