The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed that it has received a refund of $760,000, which was paid as advanced school fees by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, for his children at the American International School in Abuja. The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, confirmed this development in Abuja on Friday.
According to Oyewale, “The school has refunded the entire $760,000 to the EFCC’s recovery account.” This comes after the American International School of Abuja requested “authentic banking details” from the EFCC for the refund of fees paid for the former governor’s children.
It was alleged that Bello had paid $720,000 in advance as fees for five of his children using funds from the coffers of the Kogi State Government. The children, who are in Grade Levels 2 to 8, attend the American International School.
On April 17, EFCC operatives laid siege to Bello’s residence in Abuja in an attempt to arrest him over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud. However, the governor of Kogi, Usman Ododo, reportedly arrived at the property and whisked Bello away while the operatives were present.
In a letter addressed to the Lagos Zonal Commander of the EFCC, the American International School of Abuja stated that a total of $845,852 had been paid in tuition fees from September 7, 2021, to the present date. The school deducted the educational services already rendered and requested an official written request with the authentic banking details of the EFCC for the refund of the remaining funds.
The school stated, “Since September 7, 2021, to date, $845,852.84 in tuition and other fees have been deposited into our bank account. We have calculated the net amount to be transferred and refunded to the state, after deducting the educational services rendered, as $760,910.84. No further additional fees are expected in respect of tuition as the students’ fees have now been settled until they graduate from ASIA.”
The school also mentioned that it would notify the anti-graft agency if there were any further deposits made by the Bello family. In a statement signed by Greg Hughes, the school clarified that Ali Bello had contacted them on August 13, 2021, requesting to pay the family’s school fees in advance until the students graduate from high school.
It was previously revealed by the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, that the former governor had transferred $720,000 from the government’s coffers to a bureau de change before leaving office to pay in advance for his child’s school fees. Olukoyede disclosed this information during an interview with journalists in Abuja.
He stated, “A sitting governor, because he knows he is going, moved money directly from the government to a bureau de change, used it to pay the child’s school fees in advance, $720,000 in advance, in anticipation that he was going to leave the Government House. In a poor state like Kogi, and you want me to close my eyes to that under the guise of ‘I’m being used.’ Being used by who at this stage of my life?”
The refund of the advanced school fees by the American International School is a significant development in the ongoing investigation by the EFCC into alleged financial misconduct. The EFCC continues to play a crucial role in ensuring accountability and combating corruption in Nigeria.
