American International School Abuja  clarifies handing over of advance tuition fees paid by Bello

Oru Leonard 

The American International School Abuja has clarified its decision to hand over advance tuition fees allegedly paid by former Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello, for five of his children to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Accordingly to Media reports, the school said the reason for the refund was due to the current EFCC investigation.

Although the school did not explicitly mention Bello, it confirmed reports that it refunded $760,910.84 out of $845,852 in fees purportedly deposited by him.

The EFCC accused Bello of converting Kogi state funds amounting to N80.2 billion for personal use.

Reportedly, Bello paid the fees in August 2021 to cover the education of four of his children already enrolled in the school, with provision for a fifth child to join in August 2022 if space permits.

The fees were intended to cover a 14-year period from 2021 to 2035, as per documents submitted by the EFCC in court.

The four enrolled children were identified as Farid Bello in Grade 8, Zahra Bello in Grade 6, Na’Ima Bello in Grade 4, and Nana-Fatima Bello in Grade 2.

The fifth child, Zayyan Ali Bello, was slated for pre-school enrollment in August 2022, subject to successful application and availability of space.

Greg Hughes, Head of the American International School Abuja, stated that the school handed over the fees, paid by a family with children enrolled in the institution, following EFCC’s investigation.

Photo Credit: Legit