The development comes as Bello faces a 19-count charge of alleged money laundering, with his trial adjourned to September 25.
Abuja – Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Wednesday the embattled former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is not in its custody.
It was initially reported that there was mounting pressure on the EFCC to release the fugitive former governor, who reportedly showed up for interrogation on Wednesday.
In April, Bello was declared wanted for failing to honour the anti-graft agency’s multiple invitations after he was accused of money laundering to the tune of ₦80.2 billion.
It’s worth noting that Bello had previously resisted arrest and shunned multiple EFCC invitations, leading to a dramatic scene at his Abuja residence. The EFCC had obtained a warrant for his arrest, but his successor, Governor Usman Ododo, intervened to prevent the arrest.
The development comes as Bello faces a 19-count charge of alleged money laundering, with his trial adjourned to September 25.
The anti-graft agency has said it is keen to prosecute Bello, with Chairman Ola Olukoyede personally inviting him for interrogation.
Local news outlets reported that Bello finally honoured the EFCC’s invitation, accompanied by top politicians and bigwigs of the ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sources said that Bello’s appearance at the EFCC was the result of a negotiation between his camp and President Bola Tinubu’s camp.
But in a Wednesday statement by Ohiare Michael, Director of Yahaya Bello Media Office, Yahaya Bello said the “decision (to appear before the EFCC) was made after due consultations with his family, legal team and political allies.”
According to him, he only sought enforcement of his fundamental human rights in order to ensure due process, adding that he is a respecter of the rule of law and constituted authority.
However, top sources revealed that there was a lot of pressure on the EFCC to release the former governor after interrogation.
They said Bello had been hiding at the State House in Kogi and the state’s liaison office in Abuja.
“Yahaya Bello is still under interrogation but the EFCC leadership is likely to release him, claiming they don’t want to detain him because of the earth tremor rocking Abuja,” one of the sources told an investigative news outlet Sahara Reporters.
“There is a lot of pressure on the agency. The Inspector General of Police is also involved and Bello’s Chief Security Officer they claimed was arrested for bungling his arrest was never detained contrary to what they told the public,” the source said. “He had hunkered down at the State House in Lokoja and stayed also at the liaison office of the Kogi State since he went into hiding. Today’s appearance was negotiated between Tinubu and Yahaya Bello’s camp.”
Reacting to this report, EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale said the ex-governor remains wanted “for alleged ₦80.2billion money laundering charges”.
“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 N80.2billion money laundering charges, remains wanted with a subsisting warrant for his arrest,” Oyewale said.
The stance of the anti-graft contradict the position of the Bello’s Media Office that the former governor has honoured the invitation of the EFCC.
In August, the Court of Appeal in Abuja ordered Bello to present himself for arraignment.
The court had also restrained Bello from taking further action in the case until his arraignment.
Additionally, the court set aside the judgment previously delivered by Kogi State High Court.
The EFCC is prosecuting Bello for alleged criminal diversion and money laundering to the tune of ₦80,246,470,089.88 while he was in office as Kogi State Governor.
The anti-corruption agency filed 19 criminal counts before a Federal High Court in Abuja against the former governor, bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering.
The charge filed at the Federal High Court 9, with charge FHC/ABJ/CR/98/2024, dated March 9, 2024, has Yahaya Adoza Bello as the sole Defendant while the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the complainant.
The EFCC in the charge papers accused the ex-governor of converting ₦80,246,470,089.88 belonging to the Kogi State government in February 2016 to himself, an offence which is contrary to Section 18(a) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
Bello was also accused of indirectly using one Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu to launder the sum of N950 million being proceeds of crime for the acquisition of a property at No. 35 Danube Street, MaitamaDistrict, Abuja.
Bello’s whereabouts had been officially unknown since the EFCC attempted to arrest him during a raid on his Abuja residence. The current Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo had scuttled attempts by EFCC’s operatives to arrest Bello from his residence in Abuja.