The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until May 8 to rule on the admissibility of a judgment from the Federal Capital Territory High Court in a case involving Ali Bello and the Incorporated Trustees of the American International School.
The judgment is relevant to the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who is facing an N80.2 billion fraud charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
During the trial on Friday, defense counsel Joseph Daudu (SAN) sought to tender a document related to the payment or refund of school fees, which he argued was crucial to the case. However, EFCC counsel Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) objected, citing Section 232 of the Evidence Act and stating that the prosecution had not yet closed its case.
Daudu countered that the admissibility of documents in criminal cases is governed by their relevance, as outlined in Sections 4, 5, and 6 of the Evidence Act, 2011. He argued that the document, a public record involving the American International School, Abuja (AISA), was relevant and admissible.
The document in question pertains to a judgment in suit number FCT/HC/CV/2574/2023, which upheld a fee agreement between Ali Bello and AISA. Daudu emphasized that the witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, an auditor with AISA, was the sole representative of the school in the matter.
Ojehomon had earlier testified that Ali Bello contacted AISA to pay the school fees of Yahaya Bello’s children until their graduation. The payments covered four of Bello’s children enrolled in grades 8, 6, 4, and 2, as well as future fees for children not yet enrolled.
During cross-examination, Ojehomon confirmed multiple payments made to AISA from various company accounts, including Forza Oil and Gas, Whales Oil and Gas, Aleshua Solution Services, Uliati General Training LLC, and Dada Rand Merchant Limited.
Pinheiro objected to the admissibility of the FCT High Court judgment, urging the court to reject it on procedural grounds. Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the case to May 8 and 9 for a ruling on the admissibility of the judgment and further proceedings.
