Instant moment governor of Kogi Situation, Yahaya Bello, continues to be at the run 107 days later being declared sought after by means of the Financial and Monetary Crime Fee.
EFCC had on April 18, 2024, declared Bello sought after in reference to an alleged case of cash laundering to the song of N80,246,470,089.88.
Saturday PUNCH recalled {that a} staff of armed males known as ‘Special Forces’ and a few policemen averted EFCC operatives from apprehending Bello at his Wuse Zone 4, Abuja place of abode on Wednesday, April 17.
The wave governor of Kogi Situation, Usman Ododo, additionally i’m in a hurry to Bello’s space and escorted him out of the site.
EFCC had previous been granted a warrant of arrest by means of a Federal Top Court docket in Abuja to apprehend the previous governor.
Bello and 3 alternative suspects, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu, have been to be arraigned ahead of Justice Emeka Nwite on 19 counts homogeneous to cash laundering.
However the lack of ability of the anti-graft company to arrest the previous Kogi Situation governor stalled the arraignment.
The Area of Representatives candidate of the Peoples Democratic Birthday celebration for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency within the 2023 elections, Austin Okai, had on June 21 claimed that Bello was once hiding within the condition Executive Area in Lokoja.
Okai’s declare contradicted the sooner reviews that Bello have been smuggled in a foreign country later the raid on his space.
Alternatively, the EFCC has persisted a manhunt for Bello, who had refused to give up himself for arrest.
Talking at the topic, the Government Director, Rule of Regulation and Duty Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma, mentioned the EFCC was once no longer in a position to arrest Bello.
In keeping with him, the anti-corruption company has subtle apparatus to trace and arrest Bello.
Nwanguma, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, mentioned, “It’s sudden that regardless of all of the sizzling waves and drama of the EFCC, together with the vow of the chairman that he would surrender if he couldn’t arrest Yahaya Bello, the person continues to be in the market greater than 3 months later he was once declared sought after.
“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.”
Alternatively, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, brushed aside the insinuation that the company have been compromised or resistant to arrest the previous governor.
Oyewale maintained that Bello remained sought after till arrested.
He mentioned, “The topic is in court docket and there are diverse orders of the court docket. Senior attorneys who failed in order him (Bello) to court docket are already slated for self-discipline.
“If an anti-corruption company proclaims a suspect sought after, far and wide the sector, he extra sought after till he’s arrested.
“Yahaya Bello has been declared wanted and he remains wanted. Judicial processes have been instituted in court and they are ongoing.”