The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, remains innocent of allegations of ₦110 billion fraud until proven guilty by the court of law.
Naijaonpoint recalls that Bello, alongside two officials of the Kogi State government, Abdulsalami Hudu and Umar Oricha, is facing a 16-count charge of criminal breach of trust involving ₦110.4 billion.
Speaking during an interview on the Arise News breakfast show, ‘The Morning Show’, the EFCC Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwuajeren, stated that Yahaya Bello’s trial was still ongoing and that it was solely the court’s responsibility to determine his guilt or innocence, not the anti-graft agency.
Uwuajeren explained that criminal prosecution in Nigeria takes time because it involves presenting witnesses and evidence before the court.
The EFCC official also distanced the Commission from political affairs, stressing that Yahaya Bello’s status or treatment within his political party has no bearing on the agency.
According to him, the EFCC has no interest in party politics and remains focused on diligently prosecuting the case before the court.
Uwuajeren emphasised that the Commission is committed to ensuring justice for both the prosecution and the defence.
He said, “One thing we need to understand is how criminal prosecution works in Nigeria. It takes some time before you prove some of these issues in court. As I speak to you, the trial is still ongoing before the courts.
“We are presenting witnesses, we have presented evidence. It is not the commission that is going to decide the matter; it is the court that will decide the matter. All we need to do is to follow the prosecution as it is going on in court and ensure that, at the end of the day, both the prosecution and the defence get justice.
“Yahaya Bello, as we speak, is under trial, but the Constitution presumes that anyone under trial is innocent until proven guilty. So whatever is happening to him within his party is purely party affairs. It has nothing to do with the EFCC or the charges we have filed before the court.
“So the responsibility we owe Nigerians is to be faithful to the charges we have filed and to prosecute them diligently. Nothing has happened, nothing has gone amiss, and we remain committed to doing that.
“Whatever the party does to Yahaya Bello is the party’s business. EFCC is not a political party. We are not interested in politics. We are a law enforcement agency, and we are enforcing the law.”