N80bn Fraud: Yahaya Bello ‘hides’ in Kogi Govt House as EFCC initiates global Red Notice for his arrest 

Since he was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), it is understood that Yahaya Bello, ex-Kogi State governor, has apparently holed up in the “protective custody” of the State Government.

 

Bello, who hand-picked Ahmed Usman Ododo as his successor, has been enjoying protection from the security agents attached to the State since the failed attempt by the EFCC to arrest him.

 

The EFCC, it is further understood, has issued a Red Notice on Bello to the International Police Organisation, also known as Interpol, based on the warrant of arrest issued by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

 

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or surrender.

 

What it means is that Bello can now be arrested in any country he visits; except such non-members of Interpol as Micronesia, North Korea, Palau and Tuvalu.

 

The EFCC in April, declared Bello wanted over alleged N80 billion fraud.

 

Before the development, some EFCC operatives had barricaded his Abuja residence to arrest him.

 

During the siege, Ododo arrived the residence and was said to have helped the former Governor evade arrest.

 

Reacting to the incident, Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), warned against obstructing the EFCC in the discharge of its operations.

 

Subsequently, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) placed Bello on a watchlist while the Police headquarters ordered the withdrawal of officers attached to the former Governor.

 

Ola Olukoyede, EFCC chairman, would later allege that Bello withdrew $720,000 from Kogi State’s coffers to pay his child’s school fees in advance.

 

The anti-graft agency also filed a 19-count charge against him over alleged money laundering.

 

However, the arraignment was stalled due to the absence of the ex-Governor.

 

Abdulwahab Mohammed, counsel to Bello, in May, told the court that the earstwhile Governor’s whereabouts remained unknown and that he was nurturing some safety concerns.

 

The anti-graft agency had recently asked Interpol operatives in three North African countries, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria to add Bello to their watchlist.

 

Presently, it is a risk for Bello to visit virtually any country with the latest Red Notice in place.