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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo,on Wednesday took the embattled former governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, away from his residence amidst a heavy security crackdown on the latter’s Abuja home.
Ododo arrived Bello’s residence on Wednesday afternoon alongside several security operatives and supporters, who protested against the siege on the former governor’s residence.
EFCC operatives had on Wednesday morning stormed Bello’s Abuja residence located Benghazi Street, in Wuse Zone 4. The reason behind the siege on Bello’s residence could not be ascertained.
After few hours, Ododo was seen leaving with his predecessor.
An EFCC official was also overheard telling someone on the phone that Bello was inside Ododo’s car that departed.
Shortly after Ododo departed, the EFCC personnel left Bello’s residence.
Recall that EFCC had earlier dragged Bello, his nephew Ali Bello, one Dauda Sulaiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on an amended charge in March 2024, over an alleged N84 billion money laundering.
Reacting to the development, Bello’s media office, in a statement, condemned the operatives’ actions and urged President Bola Tinubu to caution the EFCC.
According to the statement, the presence of the operatives at Bello’s residence negated the order of injunction granted on February 9, 2024, by the High Court of Justice, Lokoja Division, in Suit No. HCL/68M/2024 between Yahaya Bello v. EFCC, restraining the commission either by itself or its agents from harassing, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting him, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive fundamental rights enforcement action.
“The EFCC was duly served with that order on February 12, 2024, and on February 26, 2024, the EFCC filed an appeal (Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/175/2024: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission v. Alhaji Yahaya Bello) against the said order to the Court of Appeal Abuja Division. The appeal was accompanied by a Motion for a Stay of Execution of the order of the High Court, which the Court of Appeal adjourned for hearing till April 22, 2024.
“Furthermore, judgment in the substantive case between Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the EFCC will be delivered today in Lokoja.
“Contrary to all of the above, the EFCC has now laid siege to the home of H.E Yahaya Bello, seeking to arrest him in contravention of the extant orders!
“It is a surprise that an agency led by a lawyer could flagrantly disobey a subsisting court order by taking actions contrary to the reliefs granted.
“We are aware of the total commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s current administration to the rule of law and can say categorically that the EFCC leadership might have offered the agency on a platter of gold to desperate politicians to convert it to their score-settling tool without minding the effect on its integrity and the image of Nigeria as regards the rule of law,” the statement read.
The ex-governor’s media office further alleged that the anti-graft agency was plotting to embarrass and harass him through spurious allegations, especially the latest one dating back to September 2015, long before Bello assumed office.