EFCC Vs Yahaya Bello: Ex-gov goes back into hiding

The fresh drama that surfaced on Wednesday between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, is yet to find a landing spot, Daily Trust reports.

The development followed the EFCC operatives’ failure to arrest the ‘wanted’ immediate past helmsman of the Confluence State on Wednesday night when they surrounded the state government’s lodge located in Asokoro in the nation’s capital where Bello was hiding.

Before Wednesday night, when the gun-wielding anti-graft operatives laid siege to the lodge, the former governor claimed that he had finally honoured the invitation of the EFCC over some allegations, arguing that he had nothing to hide.

Our correspondent, who is monitoring the development as it unfolds, confirmed that Bello had since returned to the State Government House in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, where he had been hiding before he came to Abuja to “honour EFCC invitation”.

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Sources familiar with the development told Daily Trust that after several hours of laying siege to the Asokoro government lodge, the operatives still failed to achieve their mission of arresting the ex-governor.

Officials from the security agency, while speaking with Daily Trust anonymously last night, because they were not authorised to speak on record, lamented that his arrest proved difficult because of a sitting governor shielding him.

“If not because of his successor, a sitting governor that is providing him cover, we would have arrested him since. This is still in line with a subsisting arrest warrant at our disposal,” one of the detectives of the agency confided in Daily Trust.

When asked to provide more insight, the detective said, “The chairman of the commission, Ola Olukoyede, is cautious of rule of law. He does not want to flout some laws, particularly the law that confers immunity to Governor Ododo. So, that is why there has been restraint.”

The official, while revealing how the former governor escaped again, said the strategy used when he first escaped, was the same method used to evade fresh arrest by the anti-graft agency.

An official in Kogi government house, while speaking to our correspondent via phone, berated the EFCC for trying to arrest Yahaya Bello in a gestapo manner after he had submitted himself to the anti-graft agency for cooperation.

He said, “There is no need for all these gestapo arrests. That is why Oga Yahaya was rescued through the governor’s convoy from gun-wielding operatives that had shot sporadically in the air for several hours at a time he wanted to rest after a hectic day.”

In April, the EFCC declared Bello wanted after he reportedly shunned a series of invitations and resisted arrest. EFCC officials had stormed Bello’s residence in Abuja to arrest him, but there was a stalemate.

After hours of being unable to secure their mission, the security operatives were reinforced with backup support from the Police and Department of State Services (DSS). They were planning to forcefully arrest Bello when Governor Usman Ododo, Bello’s successor, arrived at the scene.

Ododo, who drove into Bello’s compound, departed after a while. However, as he was leaving, reports filtered in that Bello was in his vehicle, forcing security operatives who had been on standby for hours to open fire.

Since that incident, which happened on April 17, 2024, Bello has not been sighted in public.

A week after, the chairman of the anti-graft agency, Olukoyede, disclosed that he made personal efforts to invite the former governor to respond to investigations regarding his alleged involvement in money laundering to the tune of N80.2 billion.

While addressing media executives at the corporate headquarters of the EFCC in Jabi, Abuja, Olukoyede said he had a telephone conversation with Bello offering him ample opportunities to present himself for interrogation by investigators of the EFCC.

“On my honour, I put a call to him to honour him as a former governor. He said he could not come, claiming that a certain lady had surrounded the EFCC with over 100 journalists to embarrass or intimidate him and all that stuff.

“I said if that is your fear, I will make you come directly to my floor. I will invite my operatives to interrogate you in my own office. What could be more honourable than that? Do you know what he said? ‘Can’t they come to my village?’ My director of investigations also sent a message to him.”

The EFCC’s boss said he was worried at the report of larceny available to the EFCC concerning the former governor.

“A sitting governor, because he knew he was going, he moved money directly from the government’s account to a bureau de change to pay his children’s school fees in advance, $720,000, in anticipation that he was going to leave government house,” he had said.

Bello had continually denied the allegations through statements by his media team.

Daily Trust traced what could have transpired before early Wednesday’s morning press statement signed and released by Ohiare Michael, Director of Yahaya Bello Media Office.

Findings showed that the government house intelligence in Lokoja revealed to Yahaya Bello’s associates that the anti-graft agency operatives were closing-in on him following his plans to step out of the premises where he had been hiding on Tuesday.

“Immediately we became aware that the EFCC officials already knew that Oga (Yahaya Bello) wanted to step out, because he has not been going out all this while, and that the operatives had concluded plans to arrest him because they were on red alert, we informed him to stay back.

“So, after that, all of us (his team), lawyers inclusive, gave him go ahead to voluntarily visit the EFCC and show cooperation to avoid being embarrassed by the media after his proposed arrest by the operatives.

“That was how he was driven to EFCC headquarters in the governor’s convoy. That is what transpired,” a government house source said.

As early as 7am on Wednesday, Yahaya Bello’s media team said in a statement that the former governor honoured the invitation because he has great respect for the rule of law and constituted authority.

“The case has been before a competent court of jurisdiction, and Alhaji Yahaya Bello had been duly represented by his legal team at every hearing. It is important for the former governor to now honour the invitation of the EFCC to clear his name as he has nothing to hide and nothing to fear.

“It is our hope that the commission will be as professional as necessary and respect his fundamental rights as a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement signed by Ohiare Michael had said.

But the EFCC, in a swift reaction through its spokesman, Dele Oyewale, wondered why someone who had been declared wanted with a subsisting warrant for his arrest would be sent an invitation.

Oyewale said, “Media reports today that a former governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello is in the holding facility of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is incorrect.

“The commission wishes to state that Bello is not in its custody. Bello, already declared wanted by the commission for alleged N80.2 billion money laundering charges, remains wanted with a subsisting warrant for his arrest.”

Investigations by this newspaper last night showed that the management of the EFCC has begun to restrategise in its bid to achieve its mission.

Although, an official who spoke to Daily Trust revealed that some steps have been taken to strengthen the agency’s tactical strategy, he did not state in clear terms what those steps are.

“I won’t tell you what we are doing regarding that because it will jeopardise our strategy and operations. All I can confirm to you is that we have changed strategy,” the detective said.

The EFCC spokesman was not available when Daily Trust made effort to speak to him on the commission’s next line of action. Several calls to him were unanswered.