The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) intensified its efforts to prosecute the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, and former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, for alleged embezzlement of public funds on Tuesday.
Bello, who has been declared wanted by the EFCC, is accused of misappropriating approximately N80 billion from the treasury of Kogi State. The anti-graft agency is pursuing charges against him related to money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds amounting to N80.2 billion.
Last week, the EFCC attempted to arrest Bello at his residence in Abuja to bring him to court for his alleged offenses during his tenure as governor. However, the operation faced resistance from Governor Usman Ododo, who was accused by the commission of aiding Bello’s escape.
The situation became further complicated by conflicting court orders regarding Bello’s arrest. While a Kogi State High Court issued an injunction restraining the EFCC from arresting him, a Federal High Court in Abuja granted the EFCC permission to arrest him for arraignment.
During the planned arraignment in court, Bello failed to appear, prompting the EFCC to accuse him of evading trial. The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, expressed determination to prosecute Bello and emphasized his commitment to resign if Bello is not brought to justice.
Olukoyede revealed that Bello allegedly withdrew $720,000 from the government account to pay for his child’s school fees in advance, which he described as an abuse of public funds.
In a separate development on Tuesday, the EFCC interrogated former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over an alleged N8 billion fraud related to contracts awarded to a company owned by his brother. The investigation into Sirika is part of a broader probe into the Aviation and Humanitarian Affairs ministries.
The sudden action by the EFCC has been attributed to public pressure following recent arrests and convictions, including that of Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky. This has led to renewed scrutiny of the EFCC’s activities, with some observers criticizing the agency for targeting individuals perceived as soft targets while neglecting corrupt politicians.
Additionally, there have been reports of individuals seeking to hire senior lawyers to defend Bello on national television, highlighting concerns about the role of lawyers as paid enablers in such cases.