The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has said the prosecution of a former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, is firmly before the courts, stressing that he has fulfilled his responsibility on the matter.
Naijaonpoint reports that Olukoyede, who had earlier vowed to resign if Bello was not prosecuted, said the delay in concluding the case should not be attributed to the anti-graft agency.
Speaking during an interview aired on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, the EFCC boss responded to growing public concern over the pace of the trial.
“Have I not made good that promise of commitment? Is Yahaya Bello not being prosecuted? The case is still in court,” Olukoyede said.
He added, “I have three cases against Yahaya Bello. Am I the judge who would determine the conviction? I have done my work. I have fulfilled my mandate.
“Nigerians must know that, and they must also encourage us in doing more. This man has been investigated, and we have filed charges against him, and the matter is gaining traction.”
Bello is currently facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged property fraud amounting to ₦110bn, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The former governor is also standing trial before the Federal High Court on a separate 19-count charge involving alleged ₦80.2bn fraud and money laundering.
It will be recalled that the EFCC declared Bello wanted in April 2024 over alleged financial crimes totalling about ₦80bn.
Olukoyede further highlighted what he described as a disturbing allegation against the former governor, involving the transfer of public funds shortly before he left office.
According to him, Bello allegedly moved $720,000 from the Kogi State Government’s account to a bureau de change as an advance payment for his child’s school fees abroad.
“A sitting governor, because he knows he is going, moved money directly from government to bureau de change, used it to pay the child’s school fee in advance, $720,000 in advance, in anticipation that he was going to leave the Government House,” Olukoyede said.
He added, “In a poor state like Kogi, and you want me to close my eyes to that under the guise of ‘I’m being used’? Being used by who at this stage of my life?”