Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) swooped upon the residence of immediate past Kogi State’s Governor Yahaya Bello, at Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4 in Abuja.
They barricaded the entrance.
The ex-Governor’s media office has condemned the siege in a statement, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call off the EFCC officers.
EFCC had joined the former Governor as a co-defendant in the ongoing trial of his nephew, Ali Bello, who is the current Chief of Staff to Governor Usman Ododo, Dauda Sulaiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu in an alleged N84 billion money laundering case before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
With their mind apparently set on the arrest of the former Governor, wanted in an N84 billion corruption case, the operatives failed to allow entrance into or exit from the street leading to Bello’s house.
The statement by Bello’s spokespersons read, “The EFCC was duly served with that order on February 12, 2024, and on February 26, 2024, the EFCC filed an appeal (Appeal No.: CA/ABJ/CV/175/2024: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission v. Alhaji Yahaya Bello) against the said order to the Court of Appeal Abuja Division. The appeal was accompanied by a Motion for a Stay of Execution of the order of the High Court, which the Court of Appeal adjourned for hearing till April 22, 2024.
“Furthermore, judgment in the substantive case between Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the EFCC will be delivered at 12 noon today in Lokoja.
“Contrary to all of the above, the EFCC has now laid siege to the home of H.E Yahaya Bello, seeking to arrest him in contravention of the extant orders!
“It is a surprise that an agency led by a lawyer could flagrantly disobey a subsisting court order by taking actions contrary to the reliefs granted.
“We are aware of the total commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s current administration to the rule of law and can say categorically that the EFCC leadership might have offered the agency on a platter of gold to desperate politicians to convert it to their score-settling tool without minding the effect on its integrity and the image of Nigeria as regards the rule of law.”
Following the Governor’s relinquishing power to a new regime in February, the commission on March 14 amended the charge against Ali Bello, Sulaiman, and Hudu to include him as the fourth defendant.
They are charged with 17 counts charges bordering on money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N84,062,406,089.88.
EFCC had told the court that both Yahaya Bello and Hudu were at large as of the time the fresh plea was taken in the amended 17-count charge was taken in court.
