The popular controversial vlogger, Verydarkman, has reacted to the letter making the rounds regarding the embattled former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, over his alleged unholy handling of the state’s purse for his personal interest.
On April 23, Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said Bello paid $720,000 in advance as fees for five of his children from the coffers of the Kogi state government.
On April 26, documents in which the American International School of Abuja, AISA, asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to provide “authentic banking details” for the refund of fees paid for the children, surfaced online.
In the letter addressed to the Lagos zonal commander of the EFCC, the school said the sum of $845,852 has been paid in tuition “since the 7th of September 2021 to date” and the sum to be refunded is $760,910, because it had deducted educational services already rendered.
In his reaction to the hullabaloo, Verydarkman claimed that AISA should be investigated for money laundering for accepting such a huge amount of money in foreign currency from a parent.
“First of all, that AISA, EFCC, please you people will have to go and investigate the school; I suspect them of money laundering. So you’re trying to tell me that a parent brought $720,000 to come and pay for a child’s school fees in advance, and you collected it.
“In America, nobody in the whole of America can go and drop that amount of money for children’s school fees in advance. It’s only in Nigeria that these people come and do this because I can’t just understand somebody came and gave you N1.1 billion converted to our own money and you collected it. That means that the school should be investigated for money laundering.
“It’s crazy, bruv. N1.1 billion school fees in advance, and in your own state, you don’t have better schools. If they post a corps member to Kogi State to serve, the corps member will be running to change where they post him because the state is not good.
“So you want your children’s lives to be better but you want the innocent Nigerians’ lives, the people who voted for you, to be ruined?
“See the school where you carried your child to. So, the public schools in Kogi State are not good enough? You people will crumble what we have in Nigeria and carry the money and invest it in another country.
“Do you understand? Now, you’re carrying that money and giving them in dollars by devaluing your naira!” he said.
In a related news, in a statement signed by Ohiare Michael, the ex-governor’s media office said “Yahaya Bello’s children have attended the American International School, Abuja, since before he became Governor, and he has paid their fees as due without fail”.
The statement added that Bello did not use Kogi state funds to pay the fees.
“The payment is the subject of an ongoing court case, and we await the EFCC’s proof in court.”
Michael added that Bello will not be intimidated by blackmail.
“We will not engage in prejudicial statements while the matter is sub judice,” the statement reads.
“We thank Nigerians who recognize the EFCC’s desperation as personal vendetta.
“We implore others not to be misled by mischievous narratives but to follow the case until justice is served.
“Yahaya Bello will not be intimidated by blackmail and will continue to follow due process.”
On April 17, EFCC operatives laid siege to Bello’s residence in Abuja in an attempt to arrest him over an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.
While the operatives were at the house, Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, arrived at the property and reportedly whisked Bello away.
The EFCC has since declared Bello wanted, with the NIS placing the ex-governor on a watchlist.
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