Former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has finally honoured invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to his media office, which announced the development in a statement on Wednesday, the decision was made after consultations with his family, legal team and political allies. In April, the EFCC had declared Bello wanted after he reportedly shunned a series of invitations and resisted arrest.
EFCC officials 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, 2024, 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 EFCC’s 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.
Bello had continually denied the allegations through statements by his media team.
In Wednesday’s statement, 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.”
Ohiare added that the details of Bello’s engagement with the operatives of the anti-graft agency would be disclosed later.