By Publisher
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has raised alarm that former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello is allegedly plotting an escape from the country, The Nation reports.
Bello, has successfully evaded arrest by the EFCC over fraud allegations while in office.
The move to alert the international security community, according to EFCC sources, is based on credible intelligence, and also extends to Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.
Sources within the anti-graft agency revealed to The Nation that various strategies are being considered to address the situation, including the possibility of storming the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja, where Bello is believed to be hiding.
According to them, the watch-listing was activated in anticipation of Bello’s expected court appearance on July 17th before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Bello faces a 19-count charge, including allegations of money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to about N80.2 billion.
Despite denying the allegations, he has repeatedly failed to appear before Justice Emeka Nwite on scheduled dates in June.
An EFCC source stated, “Ahead of the next hearing of the case, EFCC has activated many options, including taking concrete action to watch-list Bello in North Africa. We are aware of a botched exit to Morocco via Cameroon and are determined to prevent him from fleeing into exile.”
The EFCC’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, was recently in Tunisia, where he met with Heads of INTERPOL in North Africa to request Bello’s placement on a Red Alert. The request was accepted, and the watch listing took immediate effect.
“We took this step because we suspect that Bello has been biding his time to avoid arraignment. We expect him to appear in court to prove his innocence. The EFCC must do its job to prevent setting a bad precedent,” the source added.
