By Ken Afor
The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has cried out, urging president Bola Tinubu to tell operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate their siege at Abuja residence on Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, on Wednesday.
The former governor, in a statement through his media office, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call the anti-graft agency to order.
The statement alleges that the operatives of the anti-graft agency are seeking the arrest of the former governor.
It would be recalled that the EFCC had earlier dragged Bello, his nephew Ali, one Dauda Sulaiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in an amended charge in March 2024 over an alleged N84 billion money laundering case.
They were charged with 17 counts relating to money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds totaling N84,062,406,089.88.
However, in a statement by Bello’s media office, the former governor maintained that the action by the EFCC was a clear disobedience to the order of court injunction granted on February 9, 2024, by the High Court of Justice, Lokoja Division, in Suit No. HCL/68M/2024 between Yahaya Bello v. EFCC, restraining the commission either by itself or its agents from harassing, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting me, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive fundamental rights enforcement action.
The statement by Bello’s media office read: “This is despite a subsisting Order of injunction granted on 9th February 2024 by the High Court of Justice, Lokoja Division in Suit No. HCL/68M/2024 between Alhaji Yahaya Bello v. Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, restraining the Commission either by itself or its agents from harassing, arresting, detaining or prosecuting Alhaji Yahaya Bello, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive fundamental rights enforcement action,” the statement partly read.
“The EFCC was duly served with that Order on 12th February 2024 and on 26th February 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 Stay of Execution of the Order of the High Court which the Court of Appeal adjourned for hearing till the 22nd day of April 2024.
“Furthermore, Judgment in the substantive case between Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the EFCC is to 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.
“Nigerians have perceived the desperation of the anti-graft agency to embarrass and harass the former Governor by all means through spurious allegations, especially the latest one dating back to September 2015, way before he assumed office.
“We are aware that there are clandestine moves to correct the error, but with even more questionable allegations, which would embarrass the Commission and Nigeria more than the initial one.
“It is unfortunate that an agency that is supposed to enforce the law is now the first culprit with respect to disobedience of court orders.”
