Martins Olasehinde
Abuja – Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday – arrested Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state, seven months after being declared wanted for alleged money laundering while serving as governor of the north-central state.
The current governor of the state, Usman Ododo reportedly brought Bello to the country’s capital Abuja on Tuesday morning and invited EFCC operatives to come pick him up.
“We have arrested him. Our chief security officer arrested him and he was brought in by 12:54pm. He is having a session with our investigators. We are holding him in our custody,” EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed on Tuesday.
The EFCC had charged the former governor with alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of ₦80.2 billion.
The former governor and Ododo were at the car parkof the Abuja office of the EFCC, but the anti-graft agency refused to arrest him.
In April, the anti-graft agency declared Bello wantedafter several attempts to arrest him proved unsuccessful.
On August 20, the court of appeal in Abuja ordered Bello to surrender himself for arraignment, with Dele Oyewale saying the court’s ruling was a “vindication” of the EFCC’s stance that Bello must face trial.
In September, Bello honoured the invitation of the anti-graft agency in Ododo’s company.
EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede alleged thatBello withdrew $720,000 from Kogi coffers to pay his child’s school fees in advance.
The anti-graft agency also filed a 19-count charge against Bello over alleged money laundering. Bello’s arraignment was stalled due to his absence.
Bello’s attorney Abdulwahab Mohammed told the court that the former governor’s whereabouts remain unknown and that he was nurturing some safety concerns.
The former governor was reportedly hiding in plain sight — holed up in the “protective custody” of the Kogi state government — since he was declared wanted by the EFCC.