How I paid $300k school fees for Yahaya Bello’s daughters — BDC operator

Jamilu Abdullahi, an Abuja-based Bureau de Change (BDC) operator has testified in court regarding the payment of $300,000 in school fees for the daughters of Yahaya Bello, a former governor of Kogi State.

The witness testified in court on the ongoing trial of Bello over an alleged N3 billion fraud. The operator detailed how the funds were disbursed, raising further questions about financial dealings tied to the case.

The Bureau de Change operator, who is the third prosecution witness in the trial of Ali Bello, narrated to the court the financial transactions between him and the Kogi State government under Yahaya Bello before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Maitama Abuja.

Ali Bello, the current chief of staff to Usman Ododo, the current governor of Kogi State, is the nephew of Yahaya Bello.

He is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an 18-count charge of money laundering and misappropriation of N3 billion, alongside Abba Daudu, Yakubu Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, the witness disclosed that on one of the occasions, Daudu, the second defendant, brought $300,000 in cash to him for the payment of Yahaya Bello’s daughters’ school fees.

“Abba Daudu called me to say that they had a transaction though it was on the weekend, but I drove down to the office and waited for them to come.

Upon their arrival (three of them), one of them stayed in the car with the driver, two of them walked to my office and a friend of Abba Daudu was holding a black leather bag containing $300,000.

“Upon entering, he greeted and Abba Daudu introduced him as his friend and business partner, saying he had a transaction.

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He dropped $300,000 in cash. I wanted to count the dollars before they left, but I could not due to a power outage. I told him I could not count it manually and needed to confirm that it was $300,000, so I locked the dollars in my office safe and two of them left.

“Then, Abba Daudu’s friend said when I confirmed the sum; details would be forwarded to me for payment.

“However, the sum of $300,000 attracts some service charges which he said I should calculate and let Abba Daudu know. After I completed the transfer, I forwarded four receipts indicating $75,000 four times to Abba Daudu, and he confirmed to me that the payment was confirmed successful,” he said.

When asked by the prosecution counsel if he knew anything regarding the transactions on Exhibit D, Pages 50, 52 and 53, he said, “Yes I know the transactions of $75,000, being paid to the school four times totalling $300,000 as forwarded by Abba Daudu and further confirmed that the fees was paid for one of Yahaya Bello’s daughters. “And the name of the recipient is Naima Ohunene Bello,” he said.

Another payment of the fees, he recalled, was done by a company, Aleshua Solutions Services which, he said paid $42,170 for Naima Ohunene Bello. “It was paid on behalf of the student Naima Ohunene Bello for school fees based on the instruction and as forwarded by Abba Daudu, and the date is 24th January 2022.”

On Page 7 of Exhibit D, was $78,160 he identified as payment for school fees through Aleshua Solutions Services in respect of another Yahaya Bello’s daughter, Fatima Oziohu Bello. “Based on the receipt before me, I am seeing acknowledgement of $78,135 being paid for Fatima Bello and on the Aleshua Solutions Services.

On Page One of Exhibit D, he identified a transaction of $44,675 also for Naima Bello. “I have seen it on the receipt of the payment. $44,700 was paid to the school, but due to internal charges from the bank, $25 was deducted, making the total balance of $44,675.00,” he said.

The beneficiary school, he told the court, was American International School (AIS).