Former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, has refuted claims that he used $720,000 of state funds to pay for his children’s school fees.
Bello responded to allegations made by EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, stating that the receipts in question were provided by his lawyers and not from state funds.
Bello clarified that his children were already attending the American International School in Abuja before he became governor, and he has been personally covering their fees.
The statement titled “Payment for school fees: Setting the records straight” partly reads,
“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.
“The payment of the fees was not effected at about the time his Excellency was to leave office as claimed by Mr. Olukoyede but same commenced in 2021.
“Alhaji Yahaya Bello did not pay the fees of his children with monies from the coffers of the Kogi State Government.”
The statement clarified that the EFCC did not recover any money that belonged to the former governor or his family members.
