Former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello, who has been entangled in a legal battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged money laundering involving N80.2 billion, has been urged to appear in court on Wednesday, September 25, 2024,Daily Trust reports.
According to top security sources, his appearance at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the EFCC is prosecuting him, will provide an opportunity for him to enter a plea on the 19-count charges related to the alleged corruption.
Daily Trust reports that Bello, who left office in January, has evaded court appearances for his arraignment on at least five occasions—on April 18, April 23, May 10, June 13, and July 17.
On April 17, 2024, the court issued a warrant for his arrest. EFCC operatives attempted to apprehend him at his residence in the Wuse district of Abuja, but were blocked by police officers stationed at the premises. After hours of failed attempts, EFCC reinforcements, along with backup from the Police and Department of State Services (DSS), planned to forcibly arrest Bello. However, the situation was disrupted when Bello’s successor, Governor Usman Ododo, arrived at the scene.
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Ododo later departed, and reports surfaced that Bello might have been in his vehicle. This prompted security personnel, who had been waiting for hours, to open fire. Following this, the EFCC declared Bello wanted.
Last week, Bello’s media aide, Ohiare Michael, acknowledged the situation, stating, “It is important for the former Governor to now honour the EFCC’s invitation to clear his name, as he has nothing to hide and nothing to fear.”
Speaking on Monday, a high-ranking source confirmed that Wednesday has been set as another opportunity for Bello to appear in court and take his plea, describing it as his “only saving grace and last opportunity.”
“The only saving grace and last opportunity is for him to appear in court on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, and take his plea. The Commission is not bothered by his delays, as the charges have already been filed, and his stalling tactics will only worsen his situation.
“His best chance is to appear in court, which is the only way he can improve his case,” the source told our correspondent.
Further investigations revealed that the EFCC rejected Bello’s previous surrender offer, suspecting that he intended to compromise the Commission’s operational procedures by breaching its Standard Operating Procedures.
Bello had reportedly been in contact with certain officers upon arriving at the Commission’s premises, who misled him, derailing his surrender attempt.
“The EFCC operates under strict professional guidelines concerning arrests, bail, suspect surrender, investigations, and prosecutions.
“Bello behaved like an emperor in a situation where he was a suspect. Additionally, the Commission gathered intelligence suggesting that his surrender was intended to undermine his trial.
“This led the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, to swiftly reject his orchestrated surrender,” another reliable source told Daily Trust.
