Following the arrest of Yahaya Bello, a former governor of Kogi State by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), all arrangements have been made to arraign him in court, where he’s facing trial.
The former governor, who has reportedly been in hiding since April 2024, was finally brought to the anti-graft agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday at about 12:55 p.m.
Daily Trust reports that Bello was declared wanted by the EFCC after he failed to honour several invitations extended to him before he was being tried in absentia in court.
Operatives of the commission clarified to our correspondent in an interview that Yahaya Bello was tactically arrested by detectives, contrary to the reports in some quarters that he drove himself to the EFCC.
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“You think that man (Yahaya Bello) is ready to be taken to court? Your guess is as good as mine. What I can tell you is that the man was nabbed by our tactical operatives after gathering substantial intelligence.
“If he submitted himself as they are claiming, you think he wouldn’t come with the incumbent governor, Mr Usman Ododo? This insinuation that he drove himself to us should be discarded,” one of the detectives said.
The spokesman for the anti-graft agency, Dele Oyewale, could not be reached for official comments as of the time of filing this report as calls to his mobile phone weren’t connecting.
Daily Trust could confirm that detectives of the anti-graft agency were still quizzing the former governor ahead of his arraignment in court today.
Bello, who was being grilled by the crack detectives of the EFCC at the time of filing this report, was responding to allegations of misappropriation of funds levelled against him after months of shunning repeated invitations.
The former governor has been implicated in a major money laundering case, with the EFCC declaring him wanted on April 18, 2024, in connection with an N80.2 billion fraud charge.
It would be recalled that fresh charges were preferred against the former governor, before Justice Maryanne Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama in Abuja.
The matter, heard on November 14 by the court, was adjourned till today (November 27) when counsel to the EFCC sought an adjournment in the fresh case it instituted against Bello.
The EFCC said the 30-day window given to Bello in line with the laws regarding earlier summons the court issued against him was still running.
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