Why we’re after ex-governor Yahaya Bello – EFCC Chair

The chairman of the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday, gave extra particulars of the prison case towards former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.

The company has already charged Mr Bello with 19 counts of cash laundering involving over N80 billion on the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja however has been unable to prosecute him as a result of difficulties in arresting him.

Giving recent insights into the case towards the previous governor, Mr Olukoyede mentioned Tuesday that $720,000 stolen from the Kogi State treasury was used to pay the college charges of considered one of Mr Bello’s youngsters.

Mr Olukoyede, who was talking at a press convention in Abuja, with a snippet of his remarks captured in a brief clip posted by Channels Tv on its Fb web page, mentioned Mr Bello withdrew the funds by a male cashier on the Kogi State Authorities Home in Lokoja.

He alleged that the previous governor funnelled the funds by a bureau de change operator, whose title Mr Olukoyede didn’t reveal.

He mentioned: “A sitting governor, as a result of he is aware of he’s going, moved cash immediately from authorities by a cashier to bureau de change, used it to pay the kid’s faculty charge prematurely, $720,000 prematurely, in anticipation that he was going to depart the Authorities Home.

“In a poor state like Kogi, and also you need me to shut my eyes to that below the guise of ‘I’m getting used.’ Being utilized by who at this stage of my life?”

Within the clip which performed for 3 minutes and twenty-seven seconds, Mr Olukoyede urged Nigerians to method the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja for the licensed true copy of the proof of proof hooked up to the N80 billion cash laundering fees filed towards Mr Bello.

Mr Bello, 48, who left workplace as governor on 27 January, faces 19 counts of cash laundering on the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja.

Within the fees, EFCC accused him, his nephew Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu (mentioned to nonetheless be at massive) of conspiring to transform the full sum of N80 billion public funds to non-public use in February 2016.

The fee alleged that Mr Bello and others “fairly must have recognized” that the cash “kinds a part of the proceeds of your illegal exercise” – prison breach of belief.

EFCC additionally alleged in one other depend that Mr Bello, between 26 July 2021 and 6 April 2022 in Abuja, aided a agency, E-Merchants Worldwide Restricted, to hide the combination sum of over N3 billion (N3,081,804,654) in account quantity 1451458080 domiciled in Entry Financial institution Plc.

Stalled arraignment

The transfer to prosecute Mr Bello earlier than the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja has failed twice.

The scheduled arraignment was stalled on 18 April and once more on Tuesday as a result of Mr Bello’s absence from courtroom on each events.

The trial choose, Emeka Nwite, on Tuesday, took the extraordinary step of ordering the EFCC to serve Mr Bello with the fees by his lawyer who has been showing for him.

Forward of the primary courtroom sitting, the trial choose, Mr Nwite, on 17 April, issued a warrant for the arrest of the previous governor.

Nonetheless, with the assistance of his successor, Governor Usman Ododo, and cops hooked up to his residence in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, Mr Bello managed to evade arrest by EFCC when the operatives of the company laid siege to the Abuja home to execute the warrant of arrest shortly after the courtroom issued it.

That very same day, the Kogi State Excessive Court docket in Lokoja gave a judgement barring the EFCC from arresting or detaining him.

Disagreement

The event has triggered a wave of criticism from many who accused the EFCC of disobeying a courtroom order by making strikes to arrest Mr Bello. They argue that the one possibility EFCC has is to enchantment towards the order.

However within the ensuing confrontation, EFCC, each in press statements and through courtroom proceedings, has maintained that it did no mistaken, arguing that the courtroom order issued in favour of Mr Bello in a basic human rights enforcement go well with didn’t preclude one other courtroom from ordering his arrest to reply to prison fees.

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The company declared Mr Bello wished on the day he first failed to look in courtroom, with the Lawyer-Common of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, calling on Mr Bello to give up himself to the anti-corruption company.

‘Due course of adopted.’

Mr Olukoyede additional justified the steps EFCC has taken towards Mr Bello on Tuesday, saying the fee did all that wanted to be completed, together with personally calling the previous governor over the cellphone to ask him for interrogation.

He mentioned Mr Bello declined to honour EFCC’s invitation on the idea {that a} girl had mobilised journalists to the anti-graft company’s workplace to harass him.

He mentioned Mr Bello then requested that he be interrogated at his village in Okene Native Authorities Space of Kogi State.

“By myself, I known as him, which I’m not presupposed to do, simply to honour him as an immediate-past governor. ‘Sir, there are points. I’ve seen this case file. Are you able to simply come allow us to make clear these points?’” Mr Olukoyede recalled his cellphone dialog with Mr Bello.

‘Ha! Thanks, my brother. I do know, however I can’t come. There’s one girl that has surrounded EFCC with over 100 individuals to return and embarrass me and intimidate me’,” the EFCC chair quoted Mr Bello as saying on cellphone.

‘I didn’t provoke Bello’s case.’

Reacting to insinuations that he was getting used to wage a political witch-hunt towards Mr Bello, Mr Olukoyede clarified that the previous governor’s case preceded his assumption of workplace.

“I didn’t provoke the case; I inherited the case file. I known as for the file, and I mentioned there are points right here.”

“I’m so passionate in regards to the want for us to maneuver ahead on this nation,” Mr Olukoyede mentioned in obvious frustration regarding allegations of bias towards the fee.

He mentioned the EFCC, on his watch, inside six months, recovered about N120 billion from criminals who swindled their victims.

He added that the EFCC recorded over 1,600 convictions since he took workplace final 12 months.