According to the EFCC chairman, Bello allegedly transferred money directly from the Kogi State Government’s account to a bureau de change and used the funds to pay $720,000 as advance school fees for his child.
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has accused the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, of diverting state funds to pay his child’s school fees in advance while he was still a sitting governor, in anticipation of leaving office.
Olukoyede made the allegation during an interview on Sunday Politics, a programme aired by Channels Television, where he provided fresh details on the ongoing prosecution of the former governor and defended the EFCC’s handling of the case amid growing public scrutiny.
According to the EFCC chairman, Bello allegedly transferred money directly from the Kogi State Government’s account to a bureau de change and used the funds to pay $720,000 as advance school fees for his child.
“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,” Olukoyede said.
He described the alleged action as particularly disturbing given the economic realities of the state.
“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 added.
The EFCC chairman also revisited his earlier public vow to resign if Bello was not prosecuted, a statement he made in April 2024 at the height of controversy surrounding the case.
“If I do not personally oversee the completion of the investigation regarding Yahaya Bello, I will tender my resignation as the chairman of the EFCC,” he said in April 2024,” Olukoyede had said at the time.
While some Nigerians have questioned why the case against the former governor has not been concluded, Olukoyede insisted that the EFCC has fulfilled its responsibility and that the matter is now firmly in the hands of the courts.
“Have I not made good that promise of commitment? Is Yahaya Bello not being prosecuted? The case is still in court,” he said during the interview.
He stressed that the EFCC’s role is to investigate and prosecute, not to determine guilt or deliver convictions.
“I have three cases against Yahaya Bello. Am I the judge who would determine the conviction? I have done my work. I have fulfilled my mandate. Nigerians must know that, and they must also encourage us in doing more,” Olukoyede said.
“This man has been investigated, and we have filed charges against him, and the matter is gaining traction,” he added.
Bello is currently facing multiple charges before different courts.
He is standing trial on a 16-count charge involving alleged property fraud amounting to N110 billion, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
In a separate case before the Federal High Court, the former governor is also facing a 19-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and money laundering involving N80.2 billion.
The EFCC had earlier declared Bello wanted in April 2024 over alleged financial crimes totaling about N80 billion, a move that generated widespread attention and political debate across the country.
Reiterating the seriousness of the allegations, Olukoyede said the transfer of $720,000 to a bureau de change for school fees was uncovered during investigations into Bello’s financial dealings while in office.
According to the EFCC chairman, the agency will continue to pursue the case to its logical conclusion, regardless of the status or influence of those involved.
The prosecution of the former Kogi State governor remains ongoing, with the EFCC maintaining that it has assembled substantial evidence and filed the necessary charges, while the courts will ultimately determine the outcome of the cases.