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Yahaya Bello remains a wanted man, slated for arrest – EFCC
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Immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, is still on the run 107 days after being declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.
EFCC had on April 18, 2024, declared Bello wanted in connection with an alleged case of money laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88.
Saturday PUNCH recalled that a group of armed men identified as ‘Special Forces’ and some policemen prevented EFCC operatives from apprehending Bello at his Wuse Zone 4, Abuja residence on Wednesday, April 17.
The current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, also rushed to Bello’s house and escorted him out of the location.
EFCC had earlier been granted a warrant of arrest by a Federal High Court in Abuja to apprehend the former governor.
Bello and three other suspects, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu, were to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite on 19 counts related to money laundering.
But the inability of the anti-graft agency to arrest the former Kogi State governor stalled the arraignment.
The House of Representatives candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 elections, Austin Okai, had on June 21 claimed that Bello was hiding in the state Government House in Lokoja.
Okai’s claim contradicted the earlier reports that Bello had been smuggled out of the country after the raid on his house.
However, the EFCC has continued a manhunt for Bello, who had refused to surrender himself for arrest.
Speaking on the matter, the Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the EFCC was not ready to arrest Bello.
According to him, the anti-corruption agency has sophisticated equipment to track and arrest Bello.
Nwanguma, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said, “It is surprising that despite all the hot waves and drama of the EFCC, including the vow of the chairman that he would resign if he couldn’t arrest Yahaya Bello, the man is still out there more than three months after he was declared wanted.
“If they truly wanted to arrest Yahaya Bello, they would have arrested him. If this was a case of a poor man, they would have easily arrested him.”
However, the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, dismissed the insinuation that the agency had been compromised or unwilling to arrest the former governor.
Oyewale maintained that Bello remained wanted until arrested.
He said, “The matter is in court and there are various orders of the court. Senior lawyers who failed to bring him (Bello) to court are already slated for discipline.
“If an anti-corruption agency declares a suspect wanted, all over the world, he remains wanted until he is arrested.
“Yahaya Bello has been declared wanted and he remains wanted. Judicial processes have been instituted in court and they are ongoing.”
The Accord Party has defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polling unit of former Osun Deputy Governor and ex-APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, in the ongoing Osun State governorship election.
According to results uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), Accord secured 131 votes at Polling Unit 003, Ife Ward 1 (Moore), St. Gabriel Primary School, in Ife East Local Government Area.
The APC polled 85 votes to finish second, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) recorded 10 votes. Other political parties obtained marginal votes at the polling unit.
The result adds to a series of early victories recorded by the Accord Party as INEC continues the uploading and collation of results across the state.
Earlier, Accord also won at the polling unit of former Osun Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
The result sheet uploaded on the IReV portal showed Accord polling 125 votes, ahead of the APC, which recorded 85 votes. The ADC secured five votes.
Meanwhile, INEC has continued to upload results from polling units across Osun State as the governorship election moves into the collation stage.
Voters across the state’s 30 local government areas cast their ballots on Saturday to elect a governor for the next four years.
The major contenders in the election include the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salaam.
The Accord Party has won the governorship election at the polling unit of former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of the state.
According to the result sheet uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) IReV portal, Accord polled 125 votes to emerge victorious at the polling unit.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) came second with 85 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured five votes.
The African Action Congress (AAC) scored two votes, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressive Party (YPP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) each recorded one vote.
Other parties, including the AA, ADP, APGA, APM, APP, BP, NNPP and PRP, recorded no votes.
The result sheet showed that 228 voters were accredited, with 220 valid votes cast and eight rejected ballots.
The election was conducted at Court Hall I, Okuku, in Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
The result comes against the backdrop of Oyinlola’s reported endorsement of the APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of the election.
Oyinlola, who governed Osun State from 2003 to 2010, had publicly backed Oyebamiji despite the APC candidate running against incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The outcome at Oyinlola’s polling unit therefore puts the Accord Party ahead of the APC, with Adeleke’s party failing to secure the unit despite the incumbent governor’s participation in the election.
Voting was disrupted in Ejigbo, Osun State, after violence broke out at a polling unit during the ongoing Osun State Governorship election.
It was gathered that voters, residents and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fled the polling unit as tension escalated around the area.
According to Channels TV, people were seen running in different directions while motorcycles and vehicles moved through the area as residents attempted to escape the unfolding situation.
The immediate cause of the violence was not clear, as the chaos temporarily halted the ongoing electoral process.
The incident comes as voters come out in their numbers to partake in governorship election amid tight security.
Osun Election: Accord Defeats APC in Omisore’s Polling Unit
Osun election: Oyinlola Loses Polling Unit to Accord Party
Osun election: INEC officials take to their heels as violence erupts in Ejigbo
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