The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, reiterated the agency’s commitment yesterday to ensure the former governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, faces trial for alleged financial mismanagement during his tenure.
Addressing the media in Abuja, Olukoyede accused Bello of employing various strategies to evade trial. He specifically pointed to a case where Bello allegedly transferred Kogi State funds through Bureau D’change dealers. In one instance, Bello purportedly directed his cousin to move $750,000 to a Bureau D’change for advanced payment of his child’s school fees abroad.
According to Olukoyede, EFCC had planned to arrest Bello in January but awaited a warrant from the Federal High Court before taking action last week. However, their efforts were thwarted by a governor and 30 armed policemen stationed at Bello’s residence.
While EFCC had 50 armed operatives ready to confront the policemen, they chose restraint to avoid potential casualties. Olukoyede pledged that all those who assisted Bello in evading arrest would be identified and brought to justice.
“We have complied with all legal requirements regarding Yahaya Bello. We even followed the directive of the Kogi High Court, which instructed EFCC to charge Bello before the Federal High Court,” Olukoyede stated.
He further revealed that Bello declined an invitation for an interview at the EFCC office, insisting they visit his village instead. Olukoyede lamented Bello’s reluctance to clear his name in court despite the serious allegations against him.
Regarding the economy, Olukoyede disclosed that EFCC recently froze around 300 accounts linked to illicit forex trading, aiming to destabilize the Nigerian currency and economy. One account alone was found to have traded with N50 billion.
When questioned about the arrest of the former Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika, Olukoyede neither confirmed nor denied the arrest. However, he acknowledged ongoing investigations into the operations of the aviation ministry and its officials from the previous administration.
“The investigation into the Ministry of Aviation and the former minister transcends Sirika; it’s about national interest. We will disclose our findings and may press charges against some individuals,” Olukoyede concluded.
