The former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, after months of playing hide and seek games with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today the 18th of September 2024, finally surrendered to the anti-corruption agency.
The former governor arrived at the Commission’s head office in Abuja, accompanied by his successor in officer, Governor Usman Ododo.
It will be recalled the EFCC has alleged Bello of money laundering, and Bello has refused to surrender, hiding and generally playing the classical cartoon character of Tom and Jerry with the Commission.
A statement from Bello’s media office on Wednesday said that the decision to surrender to the EFCC came after due conversation with his family members, lawyer and political allies.
EFCC had earlier declared Bello wanted.
According to the EFCC’s affidavit, a sterling account was illegally funded with ₦20 billion from a state government loan account on 25 July 2019 and had not been used to pay civil-servant salaries.
According to the EFCC, ₦666,666,666.64 was removed from the account in the two years between its creation and the court date; the commission said that it was attempting to trace the funds since they were “not used for the payment of the salary”.
