The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede has disclosed that he made personal efforts to invite a former governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Adoza Bello 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).
Olukoyede stated this in Abuja on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 while addressing media executives at the Corporate Headquarters of the EFCC. According to him, 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”, he said.
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 said.
Olukoyede also disclosed that the EFCC, in its bid to ensure the safety and stability of the foreign exchange market, has uncovered a new fraudulent scheme called P to P, peer to peer trading scheme. The platform, according to him, is operating outside the official banking and financial corridors ,with more than 300( three hundred) accounts linked to it already frozen by the EFCC.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Commission to the economic growth and development of the country, promising that the EFCC would not relent in the exercise of its mandate. He told the media executives that the Commission has recovered more than N120billion from fraudsters within six months and secured more than 1300 convictions.
He called on Nigerians to be more dedicated to the nation, insisting that patriotic Nigerians should offer more support to the EFCC because the Commission is crucial to the growth and development of Nigeria. ‘’If you support the EFCC, you are working for the growth of Nigeria. We all have stakes in the wellbeing of our nation”, he said.
Alleged N80.2 fraud: EFCC serves Yahaya Bello his charges
Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello was on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 served his charges through his counsel, Abdulwahab Muhammad (SAN) after Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja ruled that the defendant should be served through his counsel, especially as he failed to appear before the court, yet again.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is prosecuting Yahaya Bello alongside his Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu on 19-count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80, 246, 470,089.88k (Eight Billion, Two Hundred and Forty-six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand and Eighty-nine Naira, Eighty-eighty Kobo).
At Tuesday’s sitting, Bello’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe (SAN) prayed the court to quash the arrest warrant granted the Commission against Bello, arguing that Tuesday’s substituted service to the defendant through his counsel Abdulwahab Muhammad (SAN) has invalidated the arrest warrant.
“The court is expected to do justice at all times. A warrant of arrest cannot be hanging on Bello’s neck when we are in this court. It appears to us that the defendant will not get justice because the court granted a warrant of arrest before service,” he said.
However, prosecution counsel, Kemi Piniero (SAN) in response, urged the court to decline hearing on any motion from Bello’s legal team until the defendant is physically present in court for his arraignment.
“The stage we are in now is to determine the whereabouts of the defendant. He cannot be in his house while the trial proceeds without him coming here to take his plea. My Lord, this is a criminal matter not a civil matter, he must come and take his plea. It is a matter of over N80 billion. All these applications by the defendant are to prevent his arraignment and frustrate the commencement of trial,” he said.
After hearing both counsels, Justice Nwite adjourned ruling on the defence’s application, seeking a revocation of the arrest warrant on Bello till May 10, 2024.
Alleged N80.4bn Fraud: Kogi assembly urges EFCC to obey court order
The Kogi House of Assembly on Tuesday urged the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to obey court order in respect alleged N80. 4 billion fraud case against former governor Yahaya Bello.
The house equally called on the commission to with immediate effect remove
the Tag ’WANTED’ placed around the name and person of Bello, the former Governor of the state.
The house made the call during plenary ain Lokoja.
The commission on April 18, declared the former governor wanted when it could not succeed at arresting him in spite of a court injunction restraining it from arresting, detaining and prosecuting him.
“We expect the EFCC) to obey the rule of law and work within the ambit of law creating the commission.
“The EFCC, IGP, NIS, National Security Adviser and other agencies conscripted into this melodrama should endeavour to act accordingly.
“The commission should not allow itself to become a tool for political vendetta, blackmail, or intimidation against any individual through personal grudges, persecution, and campaign of calumny to tarnish
the image of personalities from Kogi.
“This honourable house condemn in its entirety a statement credited to a legal practitioner suggesting a request that the military be involved in the case that does not | constitute threat to internal security or treasonable felony, ,”
The resolutions of the lawmakers followed an earlier motion raised by Jibril Onoru-Oiza, (APC-Ajaokuta).
Onoru-Oiza said: “the recent reports in the print, electronic and social media handlers had featured various debasing forms of address against Bello.
“The consequence of this has deeply affected the minds, emotions, and impressions of Kogi citizens and by extension Nigerians.
” Kogi, over the years, has witnessed a worrisome trend and torrent of witch-hunt by the anti-graft agency, unrepentantly striving to force corruption claims on the State Government, officials and now again an Ex-Governor.
“This is not forgetting the plight of late Prince Abubakar Audu in the hands of the same agency, albeit, giving a dog a bad name in order to kill it.
“The commission started with claims that it discovered a nonexistent fund in an alleged Fixed Deposit Account in a bank.
“It appears the EFCC’s objectives are being eroded by certain selfish group of political individuals with access to media and investigations in the commission.
“This was why the 7th Legislative Assembly of Kogi State in August and September 2021 berated EFCC upon the completion of its investigation over allegation of N20 billion Bailout diversion against Ex-Gov Yahaya Bello through a fixed deposit account at Sterling Bank, Lokoja.
“It’s unfortunate and saddening that EFCC has continued the trajectory of persecuting the former Governor against all known legal decencies and now likened, by most, to personal vendetta. But the question is why? ” he queried.
According to him, Kogi, by allocation standard, is not rich so much so that N80.4bn will be missing.
He added: “this claim by the EFCC should be sanctioned and taken as laughable.”
Also, former Deputy Speaker of the house, Enema Paul and member representing Kabba-Bunu State Constituency Oluwaseyi Bello, in their submissions, berated EFCC for allegedly disobeying a subsisting court order in the state.
The Speaker of the house Aliyu Yusuf, admonished the anti craft agency not to act contrary to the law of the Country.
Yusuf said: .”This house is not against the EFCC doing their jobs but they should do it within the ambit of the law and not in a gestapo way.
“The country belongs to all of us, so we must respect the law and work with it. The EFCC engaging in media trial and working in a gestapo way is unacceptable.
“If Yahaya Bello has a case to answer, it should be done within the rule of law.”
