THE TRIAL OF YAHAYA BELLO

It’s time again for the EFCC to prove their case in court

For several months, the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello was a fugitive from the law. Now that he is in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and his trial has commenced, we expect a little bit of decorum from all parties in what has become a sordid drama. As we have reiterated in our earlier editorial on this matter, elected president and governors must understand the full implications of the loss of immunity at the end of their tenure. It means a total submission to the rule of law. It also means preparedness to defend their records as they re-enter society as ordinary citizens.

Last Wednesday, Justice Maryann Anenih who came in to take the plea of Bello and his co-defendants, rose abruptly and left the courtroom because of the unruly behaviour of Bello’s supporters. To his credit, it was Bello who sat at the entrance to the courtroom to restore a measure of order. When the case resumes on 10th December, we hope that sanity will prevail. Nigeria is consistently ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. This low ranking is not good for the image of the country and hinders investment in the economy. We therefore urge EFCC not only to bark in the media but indeed bite in court through diligent prosecution of accused persons.

The EFCC-Bello saga started in March when the former governor refused to honour the invitation of the anti-corruption agency, citing  a subsisting court order. According to the 19-count criminal charge, the former governor and his nephew, Ali Bello (currently the Chief of Staff to the incumbent Governor Usman Ododo) as well as Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu are being accused of laundering the total sum of N80.2bn belonging to Kogi State. Bello was subsequently declared wanted by the EFCC, after his absence from the federal high court in Abuja “stalled his arraignment.” The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) then placed him on watch list while the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) ordered the withdrawal of his orderlies.

  The trial descended into a media war following leakage of EFCC documents concerning the payment of school fees of Bello’s children in Abuja. Thereafter, Bello went underground and was declared wanted. Six months later, he resurfaced at the EFCC office with a large contingent of supporters, including his successor, Usman Ododo. But rather than arrest Bello, EFCC allowed him to go only for their operatives to show up hours later at his residence with guns. Bello returned to the EFCC last week and his trial has commenced. But whatever may be the evidence against him, we hope the agency will appreciate the fact that the former governor remains an innocent man in the eyes of the law.

 Rather than resort to media trial, gossip and name-calling, what Nigerians expect of EFCC is to ensure that those who fleece the country and its people of their resources should have their day in court and be made to pay for their infractions. Unfortunately, due to poor preparation and shabby presentation, the EFCC has been losing many of their cases. In several instances, the charges often preferred against some of the suspects are later dramatically dropped while stories of billions of Naira allegedly stolen on the pages of newspapers are largely unsubstantiated.

As we stated in a previous editorial, while the frequency of ex-governors’ trials may indicate the prevalence of financial crimes in our society, there is also a suspicion that appearance and drama have overtaken substance and earnestness at the EFCC. The only way for the agency to win back the trust of most Nigerians and begin to rid our country of official corruption is through diligent prosecution of accused persons.