American school to refund $760k of ex-Kogi gov’s children fees to EFCC

• I didn’t pay money from state’s treasury – Bello

The American International School, Abuja, has requested the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to furnish it with the agency’s “authentic banking details” for the refund of fees paid for the children of Yahaya Bello, a former governor of Kogi State.

Daily Trust Saturday had reported how the EFCC through its chairman, Ola Olukoyede at a press briefing with selected editors said Yahaya Bello allegedly paid $720,000 in advance as fees for five of his children from the coffers of the Kogi State Government.

Before then, the anti-graft agency had on April 17, laid siege on Bello’s residence in Abuja in an attempt to arrest him over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud, but Usman Ododo, the incumbent governor of Kogi, arrived at the property and whisked Bello away.

In a letter addressed to the Lagos zonal command of the EFCC, the school said the sum of $845,852 has been paid in tuition “since the 7th of September 2021 to date.”

However, the school requested to refund $760,910, because it had deducted educational services already rendered.

The school said it will draw the attention of the anti-graft agency if there are any further deposits by the Bello family.

In the statement signed by Greg Hughes on behalf of the institution, the school also said “Ali Bello contacted the school on Friday 13 August 2021 requesting to pay the family school fees in advance until the students graduate from High School”.

But reacting to the school’s letter, Yahaya Bello, in a statement from his media office explained that he never paid the said money from the coffer of Kogi State Government as alleged by the EFCC, arguing that his children had been attending the school even before he became the governor.

“While we reserve our rights to seek redress against the said defamatory statements, permit us to briefly state the following for the purpose of setting the records straight:

“His Excellency, Yahaya Bello’s children have attended the American International School, Abuja well before he became governor and he has paid fees for his children as and when due and without fail.

“His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello did not pay the sum of USD720,000 as alleged by the EFCC Chairman or USD840,000 as is being bandied about on the internet.”