Former media aide to Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Daniel Bwala, has faulted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for declaring the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, wanted.
Bwala said the EFCC had all mechanisms and intelligence to arrest Bello, stressing that its officials should have used the approach of capturing the former Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha, in 2022.
In May 2022, the EFCC officials broke through the roof of Okorocha’s house to arrest him for allegations of corruption, after six hours of laying siege in his house.
Atiku’s ex-aide made this known via his X account on Friday, in reaction to the anti-graft agency declaring Bello wanted on Thursday following the failed attempt to effect his arrest at his Abuja residence.
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Recall that EFCC urged the public to provide information on Bello’s whereabouts after he was whisked away by his successor, Ahmed Ododo, on Wednesday.
The agency had declared him wanted for offences relating to economic and financial crimes to the tune of N80.2 billion.
Reacting to the saga, Bwala opined that the EFCC was playing hide-and-seek with the former governor, as he gave options that could be used to address the situation instead of begging the citizens for his whereabouts.
According to Bwala, the EFCC had the capacity to retrieve information from the security details, as well as gathering surveillance instruments for geo-tracking and geo-locating.
Bwala wrote, “Unless EFCC and Yaya Bello are both doing [a] simulation for a movie about the agency and former governors, the press statement captioned “wanted” is not necessary.”
“You were at his residence to effect arrest – you failed to apply ACJA or better still what you did to Okorocha at his residence.
“You knew who came and whisked him away – you allowed that. Both him and the incumbent governor have security detail from police and SSS who must report activities including the whereabouts of their VIPs to their commands – meaning his whereabouts is not hidden.
“You knew Police and SSS have surveillance instruments for geo-tracking and geo-locating- yet you failed to approach. You are asking the general public to give you information about someone you have every reason to know his whereabouts. Please do your job without dramatising it.”
In May 2022, the EFCC officials broke through the roof of Okorocha’s house to arrest him, after six hours of laying siege to his house.
Meanwhile, ACJA is the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, passed by the National Assembly in 2015, with provisions applicable to criminal trials for offences established by an Act of the National Assembly and other offences punishable in Abuja.
The purpose of this Act is to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime and protection of the rights and interests of the suspect, the defendant, and the victim.
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