EFCC Set to Arraign Ex-Governor Yahaya Bello for Alleged N80.2 Billion Money Laundering
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced plans to arraign former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello, before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
Bello will face trial alongside three other suspects – Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu – on 19-count charges related to money laundering amounting to N80,246,470,088.88 (Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand and Eight Nine Naira, Eighty Eight Kobo).
The decision to arraign Bello follows a warrant of arrest and an enrolment order granted to the EFCC by the court on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
Among the charges levelled against Bello, count one alleges conspiracy to convert a substantial sum of money, while count 17 and 18 detail accusations of aiding in concealing funds and facilitating illegal transfers, respectively.
Efforts by the EFCC to execute the warrant of arrest faced resistance on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, as security personnel guarding Bello’s residence in Abuja were reportedly bypassed by the current Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, who facilitated Bello’s departure in an official vehicle.
Despite this obstruction, the EFCC maintained its resolve to ensure Bello’s arraignment on Thursday, April 18, 2024, underscoring that no individual, regardless of status, is exempt from the law.
The EFCC urges that justice be served swiftly and responsibly, emphasizing the importance of upholding the rule of law in Nigeria.
