The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC is doubling down on its efforts to bring the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to justice. EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede has made it clear that the anti-graft agency will stop at nothing to ensure Bello faces trial for alleged financial mismanagement during his tenure.
In a media briefing in Abuja, Olukoyede revealed shocking details about Bello’s alleged misuse of state funds, including an instance where the former governor caused his cousin to move $750,000 from a government account through a Bureau de Change to pay his child’s school fees abroad in advance.
The EFCC chief stated that the commission had planned to arrest Bello as early as January this year but waited to secure an arrest warrant from the Federal High Court before attempting to apprehend him last week. However, their efforts were thwarted by a sitting governor and 30 armed policemen who prevented the EFCC operatives from executing the warrant at Bello’s residence.
Olukoyede disclosed that while the EFCC had 50 armed operatives prepared to confront the policemen guarding Bello, they exercised caution to avoid collateral damage. Nevertheless, he vowed that all individuals who aided and abetted Bello’s escape from arrest would face prosecution, including those currently enjoying immunity.
The EFCC chairman emphasized that the commission had not violated any laws regarding Yahaya Bello’s case and had complied with a Kogi High Court order to produce and charge the former governor before the Federal High Court. He lamented that despite inviting Bello for an interview, the ex-governor refused and instead asked the EFCC to meet him in his village.
Olukoyede revealed that Bello had engaged in numerous questionable financial dealings with Kogi State’s funds but remained unwilling to appear in court to clear his name, which the EFCC chairman described as “quite unfortunate.”
Beyond the Yahaya Bello case, the EFCC chairman also disclosed that the commission had recently frozen no fewer than 300 accounts linked to illicit forex trading activities aimed at undermining the Nigerian currency and destabilizing the economy. He stated that one of the individuals involved in these illegal activities had traded with a staggering N50 billion.
When questioned about the reported arrest of former Aviation Minister Senator Hadi Sirika, Olukoyede neither confirmed nor denied the claim. However, he acknowledged that the EFCC had launched an investigation into the operations of the Aviation Ministry and its officials during the previous administration, stating that the probe was not solely focused on Sirika but was in the national interest.
As the EFCC intensifies its pursuit of Yahaya Bello and other high-profile individuals suspected of financial crimes, the agency appears determined to send a strong message that no one is above the law. The coming weeks and months will be crucial in determining the outcome of these high-stakes investigations and whether the EFCC can successfully bring the alleged perpetrators to justice.
Reference
We’ll ensure Yahaya Bello faces trial no matter what it takes — EFCC chair published in Vanguard