“School Fees Paper Trail”: Court Admits Key Judgment in ₦110.4bn Case Against Yahaya Bello

ABUJA, Nigeria — A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama has admitted a Certified True Copy of a separate FCT High Court judgment as evidence in the ongoing ₦110.4 billion fraud trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello.

Justice Maryanne Anineh granted the admission on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, during the resumed hearing of the 16-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Bello, alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu. The defendants are accused of criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving ₦110.4 billion.

At the hearing, prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, concluded the examination-in-chief of PW14, Nicholas Okehone, an internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja. Okehone testified that he was aware of a civil suit filed by Ali Bello against the school and confirmed the existence of the resulting judgment.

The prosecution then tendered the judgment in Suit No. FCT/ST/CB/6574/2023 and a related payment receipt. With no objection from defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, and Z.E. Abbas, Justice Anineh admitted the documents and marked them as Exhibits AY and AY2.

Led in evidence, Okehone stated that Ali Bello was listed as the claimant and father of one prospective student, Zayyan Ali Bello. He clarified, however, that Yahaya Adoza Bello was recorded as the father of four other children covered in the documents. According to the witness, arrangements were made for an upfront payment of their school fees through to graduation, totaling $569,864.12 into the school’s account with TD Bank. Receipts were issued for the transactions, he added.

Under cross-examination, Daudu confirmed that the school is located in Abuja’s Durumi District and that Okehone had served as its internal auditor for about eight to nine years. The witness also said his role did not involve direct contact with students and that he did not represent the school in the civil suit.

After the defence concluded cross-examination and the prosecution declined re-examination, the witness was discharged.

The prosecution also moved an application seeking to suspend the hearing of Bello’s motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction. Pinheiro argued that under Sections 111, 221, and 396(2) and (3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), criminal trials should not be stalled by interlocutory objections. He urged the court to allow the trial to proceed and address all objections at the final address stage.

Defence counsel Daudu opposed the application, citing the Supreme Court case of Shema v. FRN (2019). Pinheiro dismissed the authority as irrelevant, saying it predates recent decisions by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal interpreting Section 396 of the ACJA.

Justice Anineh adjourned the matter to May 8, 2026, for a ruling and continuation of trial.