EFCC operatives try to forcefully arrest me, fire gun shots – Yahaya Bello

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has cried out about a Wednesday night’s attempt by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest him forcefully.

A press statement, the third from his media office on Wednesday about his running battle with the EFCC, said operatives of the anti-graft agency surrounded the Kogi State Government Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, and repeatedly fired gun shots in their bid to arrest him on Wednesday’s night.

The statement did not categorically say the former governor, who appears to still have a solid rapport with his successor, Governor Usman Ododo, was passing the night in the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge.

Apparently puzzled by EFCC’s late night action, the statement said the commission refused to get get hold of him for interrogation after surrendering himself earlier on Wednesday.

“Tonight’s attack was needless as the former Governor made himself available to the EFCC in their office for interrogation. The EFCC had no question to ask Alh. Yahaya Bello in the morning, but suddenly, they are out to arrest him.

“This action is condemnable. They have displayed the very reason many Nigerians believe they were fighting political battles instead of the mandate to fight corruption. This action reflects much more than the fight against corruption,” the statement read in part.

PREMIUM TIMES could not reach EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, for his comments as he did not respond to our reporter’s repeated calls to his telephone o Wednesday.

EFCC had so far issued a terse two-paragraph statement, only denying that Mr Bello was not in its custody.

It neither confirmed nor denied if Mr Bello surrendered himself at its headquarters and it refused to arrest him on Wednesday.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the gaps in EFCC’s statement left the issues hazy, and was bound to set off speculation about why it let the former governor go on Wednesday despite its months of frantic but unsuccessful efforts to arrest him.

This newspaper also reported that with the trial scheduled to resume in a week, the public could only second-guess EFCC’s next move except it provides more elaborate explanations.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Wednesday’s development came a week ahead of the return date set by the Federal High Court in Abuja for Mr Bello’s arraignment.

At the last hearing in July, the trial judge, Emeka Nwite, adjourned till 25 September after dismissing a request by Mr Bello’s legal team to order a stay of proceedings.

The EFCC charged Mr Bello with 19 counts of money laundering allegedly involving N80 billion of Kogi State’s funds before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The commission filed the charges after Mr Bello completed his second and final term as governor in January.

The commission alleged in the charges that the former governor diverted more than N80 billion from the Kogi State Government’s treasury as governor of Kogi State.

A nephew of the former governor, Ali Bello, is standing trial along with others in a related case also at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

However, since filing the charges against Mr Bello, the commission has not been able to bring him to court for arraignment.

He has snubbed six court sessions scheduled for his arraignment, as he intensified legal efforts, including filing legal actions before the trial judge, the Kogi State High Court and the Court of Appeal, to stop the trial.

At a point, he wrote the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, to transfer the case to the Lokoja Division of the court. But the Chief Judge rejected the request and asked him to present the request before the trial judge. The trial judg, Mr Nwite, similarly refused the application.

In April, EFCC declared him wanted after a failed attempt to arrest him at his residence in Abuja.

Mr Bello said earlier on Wednesday that he was accompanied by Governor Ododo to honour EFCC’s invitation at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja but that he was asked to leave.

His media team shared video clips and photographs showing him with Mr Ododo on what looked like EFCC’s premises on Wednesday

In the short video clip, Mr Bello looked unperturbed brimming with smiles with Mr Ododo standing next to him during an encounter with some men in suit.

Read the ex-governor’s press statement here.

YAHAYA BELLO MEDIA OFFICE

PRESS RELEASE

DESPITE VOLUNTARY VISIT, EFCC OFFICIALS SURROUND KOGI GOVERNMENT LODGE, ABUJA IN AN ATTEMPT TO FORCEFULLY ARREST FORMER GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO, FIRE GUNSHOTS

1. It has come to our notice that people suspected to be operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission are currently around the Kogi Government Lodge, Asokoro in an attempt to forcefully arrest former Governor Yahaya Bello. They were shooting sporadically.

2. It was reported earlier that the former Governor went to the EFCC Office voluntarily earlier today but the Commission told him to leave and come at a later date, only to mount a gestapo-like attack on the Kogi State Government facility in Asokoro.

3. We want to place it on record that the EFCC should be held accountable if anything untoward happens to him.

4.Tonight’s attack was needless as the former Governor made himself available to the EFCC in their office for interrogation. The EFCC had no question to ask Alh. Yahaya Bello in the morning, but suddenly, they are out to arrest him.

5. This action is condemnable. They have displayed the very reason many Nigerians believe they were fighting political battles instead of the mandate to fight corruption. This action reflects much more than the fight against corruption.

5. We will keep Nigerians posted.

Ohiare Michael
Director, Media