The legal altercation between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello took another dramatic scenario on Wednesday when the long declared wanted former governor visited the anti-graft commission office in Abuja and was not arrested.
The EFCC had charged Mr Bello with 19 counts of money laundering before the Federal High Court in Abuja after he completed his second and final term as governor in January.
The commission alleged in the charges that the former governor diverted more than N80 billion from the Kogi State Government’s treasury as governor of Kogi State.
Bello was however declared wanted by the EFCC in April, 2024.
A statement signed by Bello’s Director of Media, Ohiare Michael, said the former Governor visited EFCC accompanied by the state governor, Ahmed Ododo, and left the commission’s office after he was told to leave by the officers who did not interrogate him as expected.
Ohiare said, “The EFCC did not, however, interrogate him as officials told him he could leave. We don’t know what this means yet.”
A few hours after Mr Bello’s first statement disclosing that he honoured the commission’s “invitation” was reported by several news outlets on Wednesday, the EFCC issued a terse statement to deny having the former governor in custody.
EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said in his two-paragraph statement that the news of Mr Bello surrendering to the EFCC “is incorrect”.
Neither confirming nor denying if Mr Bello surrendered himself to the EFCC on Wednesday, the statement added, “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.”
Recall that Bello has snubbed six court sessions scheduled for his arraignment, as he intensified legal efforts, including filing legal actions before the trial judge, Kogi State High Court and the Court of Appeal, to stop the trial.
At a point, he wrote the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, to transfer the case to the Lokoja Division of the court. But the Chief Judge rejected the request and asked him to present the request before the trial judge. The trial judg, Mr Nwite, similarly refused the application.
