The former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, who has been declared wanted and ordered to face trial on charges of breach of trust and misappropriation of the sum of N80.2bn and another sum of N110.4 bn on Tuesday surrendered to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,.
Bello honoured the invitation on Tuesday after eight months of hide and seek game over alleged misappropriation of state funds.
Recall that operatives of Efcc had on April 17, 2024 laid sieged on Bello’s Wuse District residence in Abuja in a futile attempt to arrest him following a warrant of arrest issued on the order of Federal High Court after he refused to honour court summons.
At the peak of the search for his arrest in May, Abdulwahab Mohammed, counsel to Bello, told the court that the former governor’s whereabouts remain unknown and that he was nurturing some safety concerns.
On August 20, the court of appeal in Abuja dismissed his appeal and ordered Bello to surrender himself for arraignment.
Amidst fervent search by the operatives in September, Bello in company of Governor Ododo walked into the anti-graft agency office, made an inquiry and walked away without his arrest.
On Tuesday, Nov 26 he visited the EFCC office with his lawyer and he was arrested.
Confirming the arrest, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale said Yahaya Bello has been arrested.
“We have arrested him. Our chief security officer arrested him and he was brought in by 12:54pm. He is having a session with our investigators. We are holding him in our custody,” Oyewale said .
While the controversy of his arrest lasted, the Kogi State government dragged the Federal Government before the Supreme Court in a suit later joined by 18 other states government on the constitutionality of EFCC establishment Act.
The Supreme Court in its judgement last two weeks dismissed the Kogi State suit for lacking in merit. It held that the EFCC establishment Act, the Independent Corrupt Practice and other Related Offence Commission, ICPC Act and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit ,NIFU, and proceed of crime recovery and management Act were validly passed by the National Assembly.
The former governor might have thought the suit will provide him a respite if it had succeeded at the apex court.
With the arrest Bello is likely to be taken before Justice Maryanne Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama Abuja , where a public summon against him was issued on October 3, 2024.
Yahaya Bello, Shuabu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu are facing 16 count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy to commit an offence to the tune of M110.4Billio before the judge..
He is also awaiting to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja, on an 18 count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80.2 billion.