N80bn Fraud: CSO Taunts EFCC Over Failure To Nab Yahaya Bello

…Says A Poor Man Would Have Been Easily Arrested

 

The Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma, has alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was not ready to arrest wanted former governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello.

Osun Defender reports the EFCC declared Bello wanted in connection with an alleged case of money laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88.

However, the ex-governor who was declared wanted on April 18, 2024, is still on the run, 107 days after.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH Nwanguma, said the anti-corruption agency has sophisticated equipment to track and arrest Bello.

According to him, “It is surprising that despite all the hot waves and drama of the EFCC, including the vow of the chairman that he would resign if he couldn’t arrest Yahaya Bello, the man is still out there more than three months after he was declared wanted.

“If they truly wanted to arrest Yahaya Bello, they would have arrested him. If this was a case of a poor man, they would have easily arrested him.”

However, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, dismissed the insinuation that the agency had been compromised or unwilling to arrest the former governor.

Oyewale maintained that Bello remained wanted until arrested.

He said, “The matter is in court and there are various orders of the court. Senior lawyers who failed to bring him (Bello) to court are already slated for discipline.

“If an anti-corruption agency declares a suspect wanted, all over the world, he remains wanted until he is arrested.

“Yahaya Bello has been declared wanted and he remains wanted. Judicial processes have been instituted in court and they are ongoing.”