Yahaya Bello and the EFCC
Immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has continued to play pranks with law enforcement agencies for far too long.
Bello, who was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, after his hand-picked successor, Governor Usman Ododo, rescued him from the Commission’s operatives in his Abuja private mansion, has continued to evade the law after five months of dropping into hiding.
Bello is wanted in connection with alleged charge of mismanagement of Kogi State funds. The anti-graft agency obtained a warrant for his arrest from an Abuja High Court after he rebuffed several invitations. This has been a routine measure the EFCC has used since its creation when the constitutional immunity that governors enjoy expires.
Yahaya Bello and Ododo last Thursday suddenly surfaced together and holding hands at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. Surprisingly, this otherwise wanted man was allowed to go home because the Commission’s Chairman was not on seat! The same EFCC reportedly later sent its operatives to Bello’s residence in the night, and gunfire was again heard in that vicinity.
Nigerians are wondering exactly what is going on. Is it that the EFCC under Olanipekun Olukoyede is incompetent? Or maybe, there are other factors playing out in the background beyond the purview of the naked eye? Olukoyede had publicly sworn that he would rather resign than fail to prosecute Bello. Why did he fail to haul in the suspect when he practically walked in last Thursday?
For the second time, EFCC operatives were exposed to situations of armed confrontations with other “sister” agencies protecting Bello to the point of gunshot exchanges. Are we waiting until someone loses his life before the state rises to its duty and ensures the law is enforced? Apart from Ododo who is obviously abusing his constitutional privilege of immunity by protecting a fugitive from the law, why are Olukoyede, the Police and Department of State Security Services, DSS, seemingly unable to act decisively?
Insinuations are now being made that “powers above” may be standing in the way. Yahaya Bello is highly connected politically. He was one of the three APC Governors (along with Bello Matawalle of Zamfara and Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna) who in February 2023, sued President Buhari at the Supreme Court over the Naira Policy, which was seen as an effort to undercut Bola Tinubu’s election chances.
Bello, a former presidential aspirant, also accepted Tinubu’s victory at the APC presidential primaries on June 8, 2023 and frontally campaigned for him. Many who played such roles have been rewarded.
We really do not need this unhealthy drama between Yahaya Bello and the EFCC; they should stop embarrassing themselves.
(Vanguard)
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