Quick previous governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, continues to be on the run 107 days after being declared wished by the Financial and Monetary Crime Fee.
EFCC had on April 18, 2024, declared Bello wished in reference to an alleged case of cash laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88.
Saturday PUNCH recalled {that a} group of armed males recognized as ‘Particular Forces’ and a few policemen prevented EFCC operatives from apprehending Bello at his Wuse Zone 4, Abuja residence on Wednesday, April 17.
The present governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, additionally rushed to Bello’s home and escorted him out of the placement.
EFCC had earlier been granted a warrant of arrest by a Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja to apprehend the previous governor.
Bello and three different suspects, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu, had been to be arraigned earlier than Justice Emeka Nwite on 19 counts associated to cash laundering.
However the incapacity of the anti-graft company to arrest the previous Kogi State governor stalled the arraignment.
The Home of Representatives candidate of the Peoples Democratic Social gathering for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency within the 2023 elections, Austin Okai, had on June 21 claimed that Bello was hiding within the state Authorities Home in Lokoja.
Okai’s declare contradicted the sooner reviews that Bello had been smuggled overseas after the raid on his home.
Nonetheless, the EFCC has continued a manhunt for Bello, who had refused to give up himself for arrest.
Talking on the matter, the Govt Director, Rule of Legislation and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma, stated the EFCC was not able to arrest Bello.
In line with him, the anti-corruption company has refined gear to trace and arrest Bello.
Nwanguma, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, stated, “It’s shocking that regardless of all the recent waves and drama of the EFCC, together with the vow of the chairman that he would resign if he couldn’t arrest Yahaya Bello, the person continues to be on the market greater than three months after he was declared wished.
“If they honestly wished to arrest Yahaya Bello, they’d have arrested him. If this was a case of a poor man, they’d have simply arrested him.”
Nonetheless, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, dismissed the insinuation that the company had been compromised or unwilling to arrest the previous governor.
Oyewale maintained that Bello remained wished till arrested.
He stated, “The matter is in court docket and there are numerous orders of the court docket. Senior legal professionals who did not carry him (Bello) to court docket are already slated for self-discipline.
“If an anti-corruption company declares a suspect wished, all around the world, he stays wished till he’s arrested.
“Yahaya Bello has been declared wished and he stays wished. Judicial processes have been instituted in court docket and they’re ongoing.”