Yahaya Bello 

Former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello remains at large 107 days after being declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

On April 18, 2024, the EFCC issued a wanted notice for Bello in connection with an alleged money laundering case involving N80bn.

Saturday PUNCH reported that on April 17, a group of armed individuals identified as ‘Special Forces,’ along with some police officers, obstructed EFCC agents from arresting Bello at his Abuja residence in Wuse Zone 4.

The current Kogi State governor, Usman Ododo, also quickly went to Bello’s residence and helped him leave the premises.Earlier, the EFCC had obtained an arrest warrant from a Federal High Court in Abuja to detain the former governor.

Bello, along with three other suspects—Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu—was scheduled to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite on 19 counts related to money laundering.However, the anti-graft agency’s failure to arrest Bello delayed the arraignment.

The House of Representatives candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 elections, Austin Okai, had on June 21 alleged that Bello was hiding in the state Government House in Lokoja.

This claim contradicted earlier reports suggesting that Bello had been smuggled out of the country following a raid on his residence.

Despite this, the EFCC has continued its manhunt for Bello, who has refused to turn himself in.The Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma criticized the EFCC for not taking action, noting that the agency possesses advanced equipment capable of tracking and apprehending Bello.

Nwanguma, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, 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, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale rejected the suggestion that the agency had been compromised or was reluctant to arrest the former governor.Oyewale affirmed that Bello remains wanted until he is apprehended.

He 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.”

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