EDITORIAL: Mr President,It’s Time To Tackle The Controversial Ties Between Yahaya Bello And The EFCC
The recent behavior of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) towards former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, is both concerning and unacceptable.
Despite Bello’s voluntary visit to the EFCC office, accompanied by his successor, Governor Usman Ododo, the commission failed to interrogate him. Instead, they later surrounded the Kogi Government Lodge in Abuja, firing gunshots in an attempt to forcefully arrest him.
The Yahaya Bello Media Office informed Nigerians on September 18 that the former Governor was at the EFCC’s office to honor an invitation from the commission. In a press release signed by the Director, Yahaya Bello Media Office, Ohiare Michael, it was stated that Bello made this decision after consulting with his family, legal team, and political allies.
The release added that “the former Governor, who has great respect for the rule of law and constituted authority, had, all the while, only sought the enforcement of his fundamental rights to ensure due process. The case has been before a competent court of jurisdiction, and Alhaji Yahaya Bello had been duly represented by his legal team at every hearing. It is important for the former Governor to now honor the invitation of the EFCC to clear his name as he has nothing to hide and nothing to fear.
“The former Governor firmly believes in the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to place Nigeria on the path of sustainable economic development and supports the fight against corruption in the country.”
Just as Nigerians were expecting official information from the EFCC on Bello’s interrogation regarding his alleged involvement in money laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88, it was surprising to learn that he was told to leave and return later instead of being interrogated.
This situation was captured in another press release issued by the Yahaya Bello Media Office on Wednesday evening titled: “Former Governor Yahaya Bello Leaves EFCC, Yet to Be Interrogated.” The details indicated that “The EFCC did not, however, interrogate him as officials told him he could leave. We don’t know what this means yet. As we write, HE Alhaji Yahaya Bello has left the EFCC office. He was accompanied there by the Governor of Kogi State, HE Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo.”
In a counter statement later on Wednesday, EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale said the ex-governor was not in the Commission’s custody and remains wanted “for alleged N80.2 billion money laundering charges.”
According to the statement: “Media reports today that a former Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello, is in the holding facility of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, are incorrect. The Commission wishes to state that Bello is not in its custody. Bello, already declared wanted by the Commission for alleged N80.2 billion money laundering charges, remains wanted with a subsisting warrant for his arrest.”
The EFCC’s denial of Bello’s visit to the Commission’s office, despite pictorial and visual evidence, left many Nigerians with a sour taste and serious misgivings about the development. To further cast doubt on the genuineness of the anti-graft agency’s campaign against corruption, its operatives stormed the Kogi Government Lodge in Abuja the same day, apparently to gain access and arrest a man who voluntarily made himself available for questioning in the morning but was asked to go.
This drastic turn of events raises serious concerns about the EFCC’s motives and commitment to upholding the rule of law. The Campaign for Democracy (CD) has rightly called for the resignation of EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, citing a lack of capacity to hold the office. It’s clear that the EFCC’s actions are no longer about fighting corruption but about pursuing a political agenda.
CD unequivocally maintained that the EFCC has an ulterior motive regarding Yahaya Bello, not fighting corruption. The frontline Civil Society Organization in Nigeria said it was unimaginable that the former governor, who the same EFCC had placed on a watchlist, who the Commission enlisted security agencies in Nigeria and Interpol to help fish out, walked into the EFCC premises, waited for about three hours, and no arrest or interrogation happened. “Instead, they told him to go, that they would get back to him only to issue a laughable statement that he was still a wanted man,” the President, Campaign for Democracy, Comrade Ifeanyi Odili, said in a statement on Thursday.
Nigerian Monitor believes that if the EFCC had been sincere all this while about prosecuting Yahaya Bello and three others on 19-count charges filed before the court bordering on money laundering, they had ample opportunity to seize him when he came to the Commission’s office on Wednesday. The reason for letting him leave and looking for him afterward must be laid bare before the people of the country.
The EFCC’s excuse that they couldn’t arrest Bello because a sitting governor accompanied him to their office is weak. Yet, they went to the official residence of the same governor in Abuja, firing gunshots, displaying a blatant disregard for the law and democratic principles. This action is condemnable, and the EFCC should be held accountable if anything untoward happens to Bello.
It is the stand of this medium that Bello’s willingness to cooperate with the EFCC, despite being placed on their watchlist, demonstrates his commitment to transparency and accountability. The EFCC’s failure to interrogate him or provide clear reasons for their actions suggests an ulterior motive, different from their mandate to fight corruption.
The Nigerian people demand accountability and transparency from the EFCC. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must intervene and ensure the commission operates within the bounds of the law. The EFCC’s actions undermine Nigeria’s democratic principles and damage the country’s image.
In saner climes, the EFCC boss would have been fired the next morning. It’s time for Nigeria to uphold the rule of law and ensure that no individual is above the law.