N82 billion loot: EFCC declares Bello wanted, intensifies effort to capture him

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Thursday officially declared the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello wanted.

He was declared wanted in connection with alleged money laundering and stealing to the tune of N82 billion when he was governor of Kogi State between 2016 and 2023.

Bello was being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency alongside his nephew, Ali Bello and two others on charges that the former governor is a principal suspect

In a wanted declaration notice, the general public was asked to report to the security office any where he is sighte.

CAPITAL POST on Wednesday reported that the operatives of the EFCC who were armed with warrant of arrest secured from a Federal High Court Abuja battled for 48 hours as they laid.siege to his Abuja residence located in zone 4 to no avail.

He resisted arrest after several hours until his successor in office Ododo Usman Ahmed stormed the residence with several police and armed thugs to whisk Bello away to Lokoja to escape arrest.

Infuriated by the Ododo’s action in rescuing Bello away, the EFCC issued a stern warning through a statement signed by the Head of Media and Publicity, it would not tolerate obstruction of their operation any longer.

The warning was apparently against Ododo’s action, insisting that Yahaya Bello was not bigger than laws that governs the nation, which says, “all Nigerians are equal before”, wondering if Bello was bigger than the EFCC.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi on Thursday in his reaction urged Yahaya Bello to surrender himself the EFCC for probe,1 noting that the agency is operating within the arm of law.

The chief law officer in the statement averred: “The bizarre drama confronting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in the course of its efforts to perform it’s statutory duty has come to my notice as a matter of a grave concern.

“It is now beyond doubt that the EFCC is given power to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigation into any matter regardless of status.

A situation where public officials are themselves subject of protection by law enforcement agents will set up a stratagem of obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform it’s duty is to say the least, insufferably disquieting.”