- EFCC Reveals How Bello Moved $720,000 From State Coffers To Pay Child’s School Fees
- Stop Harassing Me, Respect Rule Of Law, Bello Tells EFCC From Hiding
- Olukayode Vows To Resign If Bello Is Not Prosecuted
- If Bello Has A Case To Answer, It Should Be Done Within Rule Of Law- Kogi Assembly
In a shocking expose, fresh messy details have emerged in the ongoing alleged N80bn fraud levelled against ex Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello.
The Matrix gathered that the anti-graft commission accused the embattled ex-governor of withdrawing $720,000 from the state’s coffers to pay his child’s school fees in advance a few days before he left office on January 27, 2024.
EFCC chief Ola Olukoyede dropped this bombshell during an interview with journalists at the Commission’s headquarters in the Jabi area of Abuja on Tuesday.
Olukoyede alleged that Bello moved the money from the state coffers to a Bureau de Change operator, and used the money to pay his child’s school fee in advance.
Har him; “A sitting governor, because he knew he was leaving office, moved money directly from the government to Bureau de Change (and) used it to pay his child’s school fee in advance.
“Over $720,000 or thereabout, in anticipation that he was going to leave the Government House. In a poor state like Kogi? And you want me to close my eyes under the guise of ‘I’m being used’. Used by who? At this stage of my life? Used by who?
“I didn’t initiate the case; I inherited the case, I called for the case file and I said there are issues here.”
The EFCC chair also swore to follow the prosecution of the ex-governor to a logical conclusion, saying that he will resign as EFCC chairman if Bello is not prosecuted.
He also vowed that all those who obstructed the arrest of the former governor would be brought to book.
Meanwhile, the embattled Bello, on Tuesday, spoke from hiding and advised the anti-graft agency to stop harassing him and respect the rule of law.
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Bello gave the advice in a statement made available in Abuja by his media office signed by an officer, Michael Ohiare, in reaction to EFCC’s rebuttal on alleged disobedience to court order in the case filed against him.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the anti-graft agency had, in a statement titled: “Re: Yahaya Bello: EFCC Never Disobeyed Court Order,” reacted to the allegation.
But reacting, Ohiare said that contrary to the commission’s claims, “official records and court documents relating to their hounding of Alhaji Yahaya Bello establish a clear timeline of events.”
He added that these documents were endorsed with dates and times of filing and payments, “which are endorsed on court processes – all of which testify to the true sequence of events.”
He said: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication/press statement with the above title, issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, 22nd April, 2024, and signed by Wilson Uwujaren, its Acting Director of Public Affairs.
“In the said statement, which the commission carefully circulated widely as usual, Mr. Uwujaren, who we have to believe is not a lawyer, continues the EFCC’s ongoing unconscionable lies against the former Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Yahaya Bello, CON, by labelling him as a fugitive from justice in order to disingenuously justify their established and willful pattern of defying lawful court orders.”
Giving details of how the statement of the anti-corruption commission was allegedly untrue, Ohiare said in the first instance, EFCC had never invited the ex-governor formally.
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“The EFCC claims to have invited Alhaji Yahaya Bello immediately after his tenure ended on January 27th, 2024.
“We challenge the EFCC to produce a copy of this invitation, including the delivery date and the recipient’s name/endorsement. We are confident they cannot provide this simple evidence,” he said.
On alleged preemptive charge:, he said prior to any alleged invitation, the EFCC amended Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/550/22 on Feb. 5, 2023, to accuse Bello of conspiring to convert over N80 billion of Kogi’s funds in September 2015.
According to him, this amendment listed Yahaya Bello as “still at large,” demonstrating a clear intention to arrest him.
On alleged impossible accusations, he said “the alleged timelines provided by the EFCC for its phantasmagorical allegations of crime against Yahaya Bello predates his Inauguration as Governor of Kogi State on January 27th, 2016.”
Besides, he said the second charge even attempted to correct the initial blunder and said the crime was committed in February 2016, less than a month after Bello became governor.
But Ohiare said the total Kogi budget in 2016 was significantly less than the sum alleged in the charges.
He said to protect his reputation and fundamental rights, the former governor filed fundamental rights enforcement action in Suit No. HCL/68M/2024 with the High Court of Justice, Kogi on Feb. 8.
He said court records, even from the EFCC, all substantiated this.
“The High Court granted an order restraining the EFCC from inviting, arresting, or prosecuting Alhaji Yahaya Bello pending the determination of the Originating Motion.
“This order was served on the EFCC on February 12th, 2024.
“Despite the order, the EFCC, represented by Senior Advocates Rotimi Oyedepo and J.S Okutepa, filed Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/98/2024 against Yahaya Bello on March 6th, 2024, in violation of the order.
“The EFCC’s ex-parte warrant is another false narrative,” he alleged.
Ohiare said the commission falsely implied that the EFCC sought a warrant of arrest only after the Kogi High Court’s ruling on April 17.
“This ruling was at about 2pm. Records will show that the motion was filed at 8:24 am on April 17th, prior to the ruling.
“And Nigerians would testify to the fact that, at that time, EFCC agents had already laid siege on his residence, attempting his arrest. These are clear occurrences that cannot be denied.
“The EFCC failed to present the warrant at Yahaya Bello’s residence.
“The warrant itself is invalid, being obtained in defiance of a court order and based on misleading statements, as Alhaji Yahaya Bello is a defendant and not a fleeing suspect or a suspect, having been charged.
“The judgment of the High Court of Justice, Kogi State, on April 17th, 2024, highlights the EFCC’s abuse of its statutory duties.
” We urge the public to denounce these unlawful transgressions until the EFCC undertakes a comprehensive reform of its practices.
“In conclusion, it is clear that the EFCC is engaged in a campaign of intimidation and harassment.
“Alhaji Yahaya Bello is not afraid of the EFCC. His demand is that the rule of law be respected,” he said.
In a related development, the Kogi House of Assembly on Tuesday urged the anti-graft agency to obey court order in respect of the alleged N80. 4 billion fraud case against former governor Yahaya Bello.
The house equally called on the commission to with immediate effect remove the Tag ’WANTED’ placed around the name and person of Bello, the former Governor of the state.
The house made the call during plenary in Lokoja.
The commission on April 18, declared the former governor wanted when it could not succeed at arresting him in spite of a court injunction restraining it from arresting, detaining and prosecuting him.
“We expect the EFCC) to obey the rule of law and work within the ambit of law creating the commission.
“The EFCC, IGP, NIS, National Security Adviser and other agencies conscripted into this melodrama should endeavour to act accordingly.
“The commission should not allow itself to become a tool for political vendetta, blackmail, or intimidation against any individual through personal grudges, persecution, and campaign of calumny to tarnish the image of personalities from Kogi.
“This honourable house condemns in its entirety a statement credited to a legal practitioner suggesting a request that the military be involved in the case that does not | constitute threat to internal security or treasonable felony,”
The resolutions of the lawmakers followed an earlier motion raised by Jibril Onoru-Oiza, (APC-Ajaokuta).
Onoru-Oiza said: “the recent reports in the print, electronic and social media handlers had featured various debasing forms of address against Bello.
“The consequence of this has deeply affected the minds, emotions, and impressions of Kogi citizens and by extension Nigerians.
”Kogi, over the years, has witnessed a worrisome trend and torrent of witch-hunt by the anti-graft agency, unrepentantly striving to force corruption claims on the State Government, officials and now again an Ex-Governor.
“This is not forgetting the plight of late Prince Abubakar Audu in the hands of the same agency, albeit, giving a dog a bad name in order to kill it.
“The commission started with claims that it discovered a nonexistent fund in an alleged Fixed Deposit Account in a bank.
“It appears the EFCC’s objectives are being eroded by a certain selfish group of political individuals with access to media and investigations in the commission.
“This was why the 7th Legislative Assembly of Kogi State in August and September 2021 berated EFCC upon the completion of its investigation over allegation of N20 billion Bailout diversion against Ex-Gov Yahaya Bello through a fixed deposit account at Sterling Bank, Lokoja.
“It’s unfortunate and saddening that EFCC has continued the trajectory of persecuting the former Governor against all known legal decencies and now likened, by most, to personal vendetta. But the question is why? ” he queried.
According to him, Kogi, by allocation standard, is not rich so much that N80.4bn will be missing.
He added: “this claim by the EFCC should be sanctioned and taken as laughable.”
Also, former Deputy Speaker of the house, Enema Paul and member representing Kabba-Bunu State Constituency Oluwaseyi Bello, in their submissions, berated EFCC for allegedly disobeying a subsisting court order in the state.
The Speaker of the house Aliyu Yusuf, admonished the anti craft agency not to act contrary to the law of the Country.
Yusuf said: .”This house is not against the EFCC doing their jobs but they should do it within the ambit of the law and not in a gestapo way.
“The country belongs to all of us, so we must respect the law and work with it. The EFCC engaging in media trials and working in a gestapo way is unacceptable.
“If Yahaya Bello has a case to answer, it should be done within the rule of law.”
