Wednesday saw the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives make a dramatic appearance at the home of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, situated in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.
On Benghazi Street, armed EFCC personnel were spotted surrounding Bello’s residence in a show of force.
An amended charge in March 2024 saw the agency bring Yahaya Bello, his nephew Ali, Dauda Sulaiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, over an alleged N84bn money laundering case.
In response to this development, the ex-governor’s media office issued a statement, denouncing the actions of the operatives and urging President Bola Tinubu to intervene and caution the EFCC.
The statement highlighted how the presence of EFCC operatives at Bello’s abode contradicted an injunction granted on February 9, 2024, by the High Court of Justice in Lokoja Division, restraining the commission or its agents from harassing, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting him until the final determination of the fundamental rights enforcement action.
It said, “The EFCC received the order on February 12, 2024, and on February 26, 2024, filed an appeal (Appeal No.: CA/ABJ/CV/175/2024: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission v. Alhaji Yahaya Bello) against the said order at the Court of Appeal Abuja Division. The appeal, supported by a Motion for a Stay of Execution of the High Court’s order, is scheduled for hearing on April 22, 2024.
“Moreover, the judgment in the ongoing case between Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the EFCC will be issued today at 12 noon in Lokoja.
“In defiance of the aforementioned circumstances, the EFCC has now besieged H.E Yahaya Bello’s residence with the intent to arrest him, in direct contradiction to the existing orders!
“It is quite astonishing that an agency led by a legal practitioner would blatantly disregard a valid court order by taking actions that clash with the granted reliefs.
“We recognize President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s strong commitment to upholding the rule of law and can assert that the EFCC leadership may have provided an opportunity for desperate politicians to manipulate the agency for personal vendettas, disregarding the impact on its credibility and Nigeria’s reputation concerning the rule of law.”