08/04/2024
BLOCKBUSTER EXCLUSIVE: ALLEGED FRAUD - TINUBU'S REFUSAL TO HALT ARREST AND PROSECUTION SENDS KOGI EX-GOVERNOR INTO HIDING
April 8, 2024.
Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and select ministers who served under President Muhammadu Buhari's administration have reportedly disappeared from the public eye amid escalating fears of imminent arrests by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Bello, along with other ex-governors, has been implicated as a co-conspirator in an alleged corruption scandal.
The revelation came to light during the re-arraignment of Bello's nephew, Ali Bello, and a co-defendant for money laundering at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The EFCC amended the charges on February 5, increasing the counts from 10 to 17 against the younger Bello and his co-defendant, Dauda Suleiman. The trial commenced in 2022.
While the EFCC has not formally pressed charges against Bello, the former governor has been at odds with the anti-graft agency. Sources familiar with the matter have disclosed that Bello has refrained from attending public functions or visiting certain locations for several weeks due to concerns of being apprehended by EFCC operatives who are allegedly tailing him.
According to insider information, Bello has taken up residence primarily at the Government House in Lokoja, with occasional visits to Abuja. He has reportedly made desperate but unsuccessful attempts to secure an audience with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Meanwhile, an EFCC official claimed that the agency is intensifying efforts to apprehend the former governor. It is said that the EFCC has already begun profiling Bello's alleged hidden assets within Nigeria and abroad for eventual confiscation pending the court's decision in the case.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that the EFCC has obtained necessary approvals from the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Presidency to proceed with prosecuting the embattled former governor.
"Bello made enemies with powerful forces when he was governor. He will not escape this. The amount he allegedly stole is too huge to be ignored, even by President Tinubu. Instead of hiding, he should face the music. The EFCC is bent on prosecuting him. The matter didn't start today. Even when his friend Buhari was the President, EFCC was onto him. Since Tinubu has refused to see Governor Ododo on the matter, it means Bello will face the music alone. He has lost his immunity, and the unnecessary game he's playing will not work," a reliable source disclosed.
In a related development, Daily Sun has learned that two influential former ministers from the North West region, who served during President Buhari's tenure, have fled the country to evade arrest and prosecution by the EFCC. These ministers, implicated in numerous multi-billion naira fraud cases during their tenure, have seen their close allies and relatives already arrested and interrogated by the EFCC. Their assets and bank accounts, linked to the proceeds of crime, have also been confiscated and frozen.
An anonymous EFCC official, confirming the claims, disclosed that Bello has been evading arrest but assured that he would be apprehended and prosecuted soon. The official also affirmed the reports regarding the two other former ministers from the North West who are currently on the run.
"With Interpol and other international collaborations, they'll be picked up soon, I can assure you that. They have many questions to answer," the source stated.
Despite attempts to reach EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale for comment, he could not be reached at the time of reporting.
Follow Kogi East Tv. for more interesting News Reports and articles
