By Abiola Olawale
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday criticised the immediate past governor of Kogi State for what it described as “playing antics” to avoid arrangement on an 18-count charge.
The anti-graft agency, in a statement posted on its X account, accused Bello of playing several antics to garner public sympathy and evade due process.
According to the EFCC, the former governor should make himself available before the court rather than coming to the media to plead his innocence.
The statement reads in part: “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 it wouldn’t be deterred by the former governor’s antics, assuring Nigerians that it would ensure that he had his day at court.
It added: “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 rascal efforts.
“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 New Diplomat reports that various attempts by the EFCC to arraign Bello on an alleged N80.2bn fraud case have been unfruitful so far as the former governor has refused to appear before the court.
It would be recalled that the EFCC had declared Bello wanted in connection with an alleged case of money laundering to the tune of N80.2bn. The anti-graft agency had declared Bello wanted after several unsuccessful attempts to arrest him in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency had accused Bello, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu (still at large) of conspiring in February 2016 to convert N80,246,470,088.88, which was allegedly obtained through a criminal breach of trust, in violation of Section 18(a) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
