EFCC Vs Yahaya Bello: Who is Fooling Who?

Raheem Akingbolu writes on the cat and mouse drama between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and a former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

Perhaps the most celebrated story on various media platforms, including social media in the last five months or thereabout has been around the inability of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. But like the Yoruba folktale about tortoise and snail; the initial shame is for the tortoise; the subsequent ones are for its in-law, Yahaya the accused is little by little being turned into a hero.

In this ongoing scenario, Bello is the tortoise but EFCC’s manner of handling the issue has made a mockery of its operations.

To start with, it’s no more news that the anti-graft agency had declared as soon as Bello left office that he had questions to answer for offences relating to economic and financial crimes. Everyday, from time to time, the commission was updating Nigerians on efforts being made to get the former governor into its net. At the peak of what looked like a cat and mouse game, EFCC declared the former governor wanted.

In a notice posted on the commission’s official Facebook page sometime in April, 2024, Bello was declared wanted by the commission in connection with the alleged case of Money Laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88.

As the narrative about the ‘invisible’ Bello was going on, the commission was at the same time profiling the current Governor, Usman Ododo as the one creating a security barricade around Bello. The more the blame game continued, the more Nigerians got tired of the drama.

Unfortunately, the drama has suddenly become an anti-climax for EFCC and other stakeholders. By extension, the Yahaya Bello versus EFCC duel has relegated war against corruption to nothing but abracadabra. For the commission, the ongoing scenario has become a litmus test with which members of the public are now rating the agency.

Until last week when EFCC put up a very weak argument to support its inability to arrest Bello, when the former walked into the commission’s head office in Abuja, it was still within the realm of speculation that EFCC was playing politics with the issue. But when an accused person that had been sensationally declared wanted unsolicitedly presented himself and instead of arresting and taking him to court for prosecution, he was allowed to walk away, Nigerians drew their conclusions. Instead of the agency covering its face in shame, officers were again mobilized to go and flex their muscles at Bello’s home, firing gunshots and causing unnecessary unrest. To many observers, the show of shame is like a macarena dance in the marketplace.

When the news spread that the suspect that was declared wanted four months ago, voluntarily walked into EFCC office  but he was not attended to, EFCC found its voice again and gave some incoherent reasons. Though it admitted that the former governor indeed showed up at its office but was not interrogated, it followed this up with some puerile reasons. The agency was said to have let Bello go because its Chairman rejected the method of reporting to the commission. Upon realising that Bello came with the governor and some dignitaries, a source within the agency said the Executive Chairman directed that no official should attend to him.

Bello’s manner of coming to EFCC was dismissed as a breach of its protocol. According to the agency,  no Nigerian, no matter how highly placed, was expected to come for an invitation in a convoy of vehicles and with a sitting governor. To this end, the agency pointed out that Bello came with grandeur which is contrary to its procedures.

The excuses by EFCC have simply given the agency away as being inconsistent in its operations. Trust Nigerians, the development has woken them up to dig into the past and bring out facts to counter this latest position.

On October 16, 2018, when former Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose reported at the EFCC office in Wuse, Abuja, the current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and others were with him. Yet, he was taken into custody and detained. Also, in 2014, when the DSS invited the former FCT Minister, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi who was then Governor of Rivers State and Chris Ngige, a serving Senator then were among those who accompanied him.

Few years later, EFCC under Ola Olukoyede is telling Nigerians that because a governor accompanied Yahaya Bello to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, they let him leave, only to invade the Kogi State Govt House in Asokoro, Abuja, in the night, shooting sporadically, looking for the same Yahaya Bello. What an irony?

Contrary to the agency’s position, a credible source has confirmed  that when Bello arrived at the EFCC headquarters, Olukoyede was not on seat and he could not be reached on the phone. His men were confused because necessary action could not be taken against Bello since the buck stops on the Chairman’s table. This explains why Bello and Governor Ododo waited for more than three hours but they were not attended to.

When Olukoyede finally arrived at the commission, he was said to have directed some officials to meet Bello and ask him to return to the EFCC.

When the officials met Bello and Governor Ododo at the Kogi Governor’s Lodge at Asokoro, Bello was said to have asked the officials what was the point of asking him to return to the EFCC when while he was there for more than there hours, the officials did not attend to him. That was what led to the shootouts at the lodge.

The question is still pending; what is the motive of EFCC keeping a suspect who came on his own volition and refused to take him in – interrogate him, detain him and to take him to court? Of course, the EFCC also has the power to take his statement in the presence of his lawyers and grant him administrative bail pending arraignment. Since the case is coming up this week the EFCC can take Bello’s statement, grant him administrative bail and ask him to come back.

The commission can thereafter detain him and take him to court on the appointed day since charges had been filed and Justice Emeka Nwite had adjourned the matter accordingly.

As things stand, the position of many Nigerians is that the EFCC has failed and made a mockery of the anti-corruption fight. Among other flaws, the propaganda, politicization of process and sensational media trial were all ill-intentioned and unnecessary.