FORMER KOGI STATE GOVERNOR, YAHAYA BELLO, DETAINED BY EFCC OVER ALLEGED N80.2 BILLION FRAUD
By Usman A. Harande
Abuja, Nigeria.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, into custody over allegations of misappropriating funds, including money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and the misappropriation of N80.2 billion.
Bello presented himself to the EFCC office in Abuja with his lawyers on Tuesday morning, following the Supreme Court judgment that dismissed states’ case on the constitutionality of the anti-graft agency.
✓Background of the Case
The EFCC had previously declared Bello wanted after repeated attempts to arrest him were unsuccessful. In August, the Court of Appeal in Abuja directed him to surrender himself for arraignment. Bello’s arraignment has been delayed due to his absence, but the EFCC had sought an adjournment till November 27 in the fresh case it instituted against him.
✓Allegations Against Bello
The EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, alleged that Bello had withdrawn $720,000 from Kogi State funds to pay his child’s school fees in advance. The commission is prosecuting Bello alongside his Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu on 19-count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80, 246, 470,089.88 ².
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