Following the controversial payment of his children school fees with Kogi state money to An Abuja American School, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has acknowledged the receipt of refund of $760,000 from the school. The antigraft spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the development today in Abuja that EFCC has received the money yesterday. Oyewale said, “The school has refunded the entire $ 760, 000 to the EFCC’s recovery account”.
Earlier, the American International School of Abuja had asked the EFCC to provide “authentic banking details” for the refund of fees paid in favour of Yahaya Bello Children with the funds that was belonging to Kogi state governor.
The former governor diverted the sum of $720,000 from the Kogi state government account in advance as fees in favour of five of his children until they graduate from school.
His children in the said school are spread between Grade Levels 2 to 8.
On April 17, in a controversial manner, EFCC operatives laid siege on Bello’s residence in Abuja in an attempt to arrest him over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud her squandered, money that belongs to Kogi state government.
While the operatives were at the house, it was alleged that Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, arrived at the property and reportedly whisked Bello away shielding him from arrest.
In a letter addressed to the Lagos Zonal Commander of the EFCC, the school said the sum of $845,852 has been paid as tuition “since the 7th of September 2021 to date.”
AISA said the sum to be refunded is $760,910 because it had deducted educational services already rendered.
The letter partly reads, “Please forward to us an official written request, with the authentic banking details of the EFCC, for the refund of the above-mentioned funds as previously indicated as part of your investigation into the alleged money laundering activities by the Bello family”.
It added, “Since the 7th September 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.”
Meanwhile, the school promised to get back to the ant graft if any further deposit is done by Bello family.
The statement signed by Greg Hughes, AISA 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.”
The Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, had earlier revealed that the former governor 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 fee.
Olukoyede revealed this during an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja.
Olukayode said “A sitting governor, because he knows he is going, moved money directly from government to bureau de change, used it to pay the child’s school fee 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?” he queried.