Stop Persecution, Harassment of Yahaya Bello, Kogi Group Warns EFFC

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

Following the alleged continued persecution, intimidation and harassment of the immediate-past Governor ofKogi  State, Yahaya Bello, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a group , the Amalgamated Unions of Concerned Kogi Citizens has urged the commission to stop the embarrassment and allow the rule of law to prevail.

The group said no to persecution, intimidation and harassment and long ill-scripted battle plan against Kogi State, stressing that those who were supposed to uphold the laws of the land are throwing caution to the wind.

The spokesman of the group, David Ehimomy, made this call at a world press conference titled: ‘Prosecution or Persecution: A Case of Yahaya Bello and EFCC’, held in Lokoja yesterday.

He said: “We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come to our aid. The same Governor Bello made sacrifices and challenged vested interests by insisting on the APC presidential primary election to elect APC candidate in 2023.” 

“Without this primary election, the president might not have been president today based on conspiracies against his candidature.

“The president should come to our aid in ensuring that professionalism is applied to the prosecution of Governor Bello, instead of the ongoing persecution as we have noticed the hands of Jacob and Voice of Esau in the scheme of things.

“We are very much concerned about the persecution, intimidation and harassment of Yahaya Bello because as a governor, he worked in collaboration with various security agencies, tackled insecurity frontally and made our dear state one of the most secure states in the country. We cannot turn our backs on such a leader who has left lasting legacies in the annals of our dear state.

“We are also calling on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to checkmate the shopping of judgement and granting of conflicting injunctions by some Judges handling corruption cases.

“If the harassment of our leaders go unabated, the people of KogiState might be forced to make a statement. With our strategic and historical position in Nigeria, bounded by nine states and the FCT, linking southern Nigeria to northern Nigeria, our statement will be very loud.

“We demand that our people be treated with dignity and honour deserving of human beings in the candor of other Nigerians.

“The EFCC should stop further persecution, harassment and intimidation of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and the good people of Kogi State.

“It is an open secret that Kogi State has been subjected repeatedly to second class status when it comes to governance at the national level. Kogi State is often overlooked or practically denied when certain positions are zoned to North Central geo-political zone.”