The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed that ex-governor of Kogi Yahaya Bello was at its headquarters last week.
In a statement on Wednesday, the agency said Bello was turned back because he came with a governor Usman Ododo and a retinue of security details.
According to the EFCC, Bello had played up several antics to garner public sympathy and evade due process.
The statement said, “To date, Bello is yet to take his plea in the alleged N80.2 billion money laundering charges preferred against him before Justice Nwite. His invasion of the corporate headquarters of the commission with a retinue of security details, hand-to-hand cahoots and carriage with a sitting governor having immunity, unwarranted media blitz, scripted sleight of hands unknown to the public and other backend intelligence available to the commission, compelled a tactical rebuff of his touted surrender offer.
“The incident of Wednesday, September 18, 2024, regarding the orchestrated antics of the former governor to surrender himself to the EFCC, having denied being invited by the commission and operating underground as a fugitive for several months, expectedly raised concerns and curiosity of many Nigerians who had been waiting frantically for his arrest and trial.”
The commission maintained that he would have his day at court.
“The appropriate place of surrender would be before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, before whom his legal team had undertaken to produce him to answer to the 18-count charges of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
“Yahaya Bello should be more interested in clearing his name than playing the victim and crying persecution, where none exists. To even insinuate that he was the target of a phantom assassination attempt because the EFCC made efforts to effect his arrest at the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge where he had been hiding, is preposterous.
“It is the first time in the commission’s more than two decades of existence that such a jejune claim would be made. This is no more than scaremongering, intended to scandalise the commission.
“But EFCC is not deterred by this, and other shenanigans by the ex-governor. The commission remains committed to ensuring that the law takes its course in the money laundering charges already filed against Yahaya Bello in court,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has filed a fresh 16-count charge against Bello.
The charge, filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, borders on alleged criminal breach of trust to the tune of N110,446,470,089, contrary to sections 96 and 311 of Penal Code Law Cap.89 Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963 and punishable under Section 312 of same law.
The former governor, who is the sole defendant in a 19-count charge earlier preferred against him by the EFCC, is to face this fresh 16-count charge alongside two officials of the Kogi state government — Abdulsalami Hudu and Umar Oricha.
The defendants were alleged to have used funds from the Kogi state treasury to acquire properties in high-brow areas within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
