The Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to take a decisive action against ex Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, by arresting him over the allegations of misappropriation of funds to the tune of about N84 billion.
Speaking with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos the Plateau State capital, the Director of the organization, Steve Aluko, said their call to the EFCC has become necessary following the rumours and counter rumours on Yahaya Bello, and that in some quarters it is said that Bello is at large or has gone into hiding.
The Director said the EFCC should go beyond mere invitation to outright arrest of Bello so that they can unravel the fraud allegations right from when he was the governor, stressing that that was how it was done to other governors.
He said Bello still has a lot to answer over the unprecedented political violence in Kogi State in the history of this nation during the period of his eight years regime that cost many lives and destruction of properties, and that now he is alleged to have misappropriated billions of Naira, and yet the appropriate authorities are not seen to be doing enough on his matter.
“Our position on Yahaya Bello is clear. EFCC should go and arrest him, they shouldn’t invite him. That is what they did to other governors. Under the law and the EFCC act, the have the right to invite, and when the invitation is breached, they have the obligation to effect arrest. So, they should whatever they could to effect the arrest, if truly the fraud allegations can be proved.
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“Now Bello doesn’t have immunity again, and that makes a decisive action against him much easier. So, since he is not in immune to arrest again, the EFCC should follow the due process and do the needful rather than alleging. The EFCC can go to court and get a warrant of arrest and go after him wherever he is. Even if Bello is outside the country they can bring him back through the Interpol,
“So, EFCC should do their work, except they are part of the conspiracy to deny Nigerians the right to know the truth of what actually happened in Kogi State under Bello. From the accusation and denial between EFCC and Bello, it either the EFCC is liar or Bello is a liar, so arresting him and bringing him to justice will clarify the whole thing. This is because at some point even the account of the state was frozen or so, and therefore this is the time for decisive action,” he said.
He warned against those in the current administration in Kogi State speaking in Bello’s defence, saying that even though the current government is an extension of Bello’s administration, yet they have no right to be defending Bello as they are doing because that is tantamount to interfering with justice or investigation.
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Aluko equally called on the EFCC to go after anyone in this current administration in Kogi State found wanting in the said fraud allegation against Bello, since many of them served under Bello’s administration.
He further called on the the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to go after Bello also now that he doesn’t have immunity again, since the commission too at one point alleged double registration against Bello.
Meanwhile he advised Yahaya Bello to come out of wherever he is and make himself available to authorities and to defend himself against all the allegations, as former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, did, rather than playing the hide-and-seek game he is currently playing.
