Nigeria’s anti-graft agency EFCC urges public to share information on the whereabouts of former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello who is wanted in connection with an alleged N80.2 billion financial crime case.
“Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is wanted by the EFCC for offences relating to economic and financial crimes to the tune of N80.2 Billion,” the EFCC said in a Thursday evening post on its Facebook page it captioned ‘Ex-Gov Yahaya Bello Wanted By the EFCC’.
“Anybody with information as to his whereabouts should report immediately to the Commission or the nearest police Station.”
The declaration is the latest in the tussle between Bello and the anti-crime agency. The chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was absent earlier in the day at the Federal High Court in Abuja for a suit instituted against him by the EFCC.
This forced Justice Emeka Nwite to adjourn the suit and for substituted service and possible arraignment of Bello for alleged money laundering.
Before then, fiery-looking EFCC operatives stormed the former Kogi leader’s residence in the Wuse area of Abuja, attempting to arrest Bello for arraignment. Despite the siege, which lasted hours, the agency could not arrest the former governor whom it claimed was “whisked away” by his successor Usman Ododo.
The EFCC roundly condemned the move, describing it as an attempt to frustrate the agency’s operations.
In the face of the heated battle, Bello’s Media Office accused the anti-corruption agency of a witchhunt against its principal.
“Looking at the curious and endless scenarios of duplicated charges, cross-charges, counter and frivolous charges by the EFCC against former Governor Yahaya Bello, it has become crystal clear that the whole onslaught is nothing but a desperate political witch-hunt of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State,” his media office said in a statement.
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