EFCC confirms refund of $760,000 paid by ex-Gov. Bello for children’s school fees

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has confirmed the receipt of the refund of $760,000 paid as advanced school fees by former Kogi Gov. Yahaya Bello for his five children at the American International School, Abuja.

Dele Oyewale, the spokesman for the EFCC, who confirmed it, said: “The school has refunded the entire $760, 000 to the EFCC’s recovery account.”

Persecondnews recalls that the school had asked the EFCC to provide “authentic banking details” for the refund of fees paid for the children of the former governor.

Bello allegedly paid $720,000 in advance as fees for five of his children from the account of the Kogi State Government.

The children are in grades 2 to 8 at the school.

EFCC operatives had on April 17 laid siege to Bello’s residence in the Wuse area of Abuja in an attempt to arrest him over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.

Gov. Usman Ododo had arrived at the residence during the siege and smuggled Bello away.

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

It said the sum to be refunded is $760,910 because it had deducted educational services already rendered.

“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.

“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.”

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

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.