Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello remains wanted: EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that Yahaya Bello, the immediate past governor of Kogi State, remains wanted until he is apprehended.

This announcement was made by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, confirming that Bello has been on the run for 107 days since being declared wanted by the agency.

On April 18, 2024, the EFCC declared Bello wanted in connection with an alleged money laundering case involving ₦80,246,470,089.88. An attempt to arrest Bello at his residence in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, on April 17 was thwarted by a group of armed men identified as ‘Special Forces’ and some policemen.

Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, criticized the EFCC for not being ready to arrest Bello, suggesting that the agency possesses sophisticated equipment capable of tracking and capturing the former governor.

Nwanguma said, “It is surprising that despite all the hot waves and drama of the EFCC, including the vow of the chairman that he would resign if he couldn’t arrest Yahaya Bello, the man is still out there more than three months after he was declared wanted.

“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.”

However, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, dismissed the insinuation that the agency had been compromised or unwilling to arrest the former governor.

Speaking with the aforementioned publication, Oyewale said, “The matter is in court and there are various orders of the court. Senior lawyers who failed to bring him (Bello) to court are already slated for discipline.

“If an anti-corruption agency declares a suspect wanted, all over the world, he remains wanted until he is arrested.

“Yahaya Bello has been declared wanted and he remains wanted. Judicial processes have been instituted in court and they are ongoing.”