Yahaya Bello ‘rascally, irresponsible’: EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says fugitive former Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello, must face his day in court, berating him as a rascally irresponsible character.

“It is public knowledge that a former governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello, had made several unsuccessful attempts to throw spanners in his ongoing trial through some irresponsible and utterly rascally efforts,” the anti-graft agency said in a statement by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Wednesday.

It added, “Yahaya Bello should be more interested in clearing his name than playing the victim and crying persecution where none exists.”

The EFCC dismissed Mr Bello’s claim that the commission was after his life as baseless, vowing to prosecute him regardless of his antics.

“To even insinuate that he (Mr Bello) 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,” the statement reads.

“But the 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.”

According to the EFCC, to date, Mr Bello has 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.”

It added, “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 among many Nigerians who had been waiting frantically for his arrest and trial.”

In April, the EFCC declared Mr Bello wanted for allegedly stealing N80 billion from the Kogi state treasury after his security details barred EFCC operatives from arresting him.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in May, ordered that Mr Bello appear in court to face a 19-count charge bordering on his alleged complicity in money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds.

In response, however, Mr Bello, who had failed to appear at several scheduled arraignments with his whereabouts unknown, in a letter to the chief judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, through his team of lawyers led by Abdulwahab Mohammed, SAN, pleaded for his trial to be transferred to Kogi State.

According to Mr Bello, only the Lokoja Division of the high court has the territorial jurisdiction to hear the suit brought against him by the EFCC.