From Fred Itua, Abuja
Former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, traded words over the whereabouts of the former.
According to his media office, Bello decided to honour the invitation of the anti-graft agency after consultations with his family, legal team and political allies.
But the EFCC denied claims that Bello was in its custody. In a statement, EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, noted: “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.”
In April, the EFCC declared Bello wanted after he reportedly shunned a series of invitations and resisted arrest.
Officials of the EFCC 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 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, Bello had not been sighted in public.
A week after, Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mr. Ola 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 N80,246,470,089.88( Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand and Eighty Nine Naira, Eighty Eight Kobo).
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, I can’t come, claiming that a certain lady has 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 anti-graft 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.
The embattled former governor had continually denied the allegations through statements by his media team.
Ohiare Michael, Director, Yahaya Bello Media Office, said, “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.”
He added that the details of Bello’s engagement with the operatives of the anti-graft agency would be disclosed later.
In another statement, the media office of the former governor claimed that Bello was at the office of the EFCC but was not interrogated by officials
The statement read: “We reported the voluntary visit of former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission office to honour the Commission’s invitation.
“In the statement, we reiterated the former governor’s great respect for the rule of law and constituted authority, and stressed that, all the while, he only sought the enforcement of his fundamental rights in order to ensure due process.
“The EFCC did not, however, interrogate him as officials told him he could leave. We don’t know what this means yet. As we write, Yahaya Bello has left the EFCC office. He was accompanied there by the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo.
“Recall that the case has been before a competent court of jurisdiction, and Yahaya Bello had been duly represented by his legal team at every hearing. The former governor decided to honour the invitation to clear his name as he has nothing to hide and nothing to fear.”
