By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The runaway ex- governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello is currently making moves to bribe some judges handling his alleged fraud and money laundering case initiated against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission with dollars, it was gathered.

This was revealed by his close allies and commissioners in Kogi State in their chats in a WhatsApp group named, “Only Ododo 4 Const” which were leaked on Thursday morning.

The EFCC had declared Bello wanted for allegedly misappropriating over N80 billion in public funds while the police had also detained the female police officer who served as the aide-de-camp to Bello as well as other security details for aiding his escape from the anti-corruption agency’s operatives in Abuja.

Findings revealed that members of the WhatsApp platform include Evangelist Kingsley Fanwo, who served as Commissioner for Information and Communications in Bello’s administration in Kogi State and currently serves in the government of Governor Usman Ododo; Barr. Salami Ozigi-Deedat, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Hon. Umar Oricha Shaibu, the Director General of Kogi State Government House.

In the conversations, Fanwo disclosed that Bello informed him about his plan to bribe all the judges handling his case. The commissioner said Bello had converted some funds from naira notes to dollars, which would make it more appealing to the sitting judges.

He said the former governor had secured the assistance of someone who would help him to deliver the money to the judges.

He wrote: “My honorable, no fear 0o. Ogah is on top of his game, l spoke with him and he told me that he has converted the entire money to dollars he don get who go help am deliver to those judges.”

Fanwo added, “Even if Oga (Bello) turns himself in or not, if the money gets to the judges, we are sure of victory. The enemies will soon cry.”

Corroborating Fanwo’s assertion, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Kogi State, Abdullahi Bello also said the party was taking all the necessary steps before the former governor would meet the judges in person.

He said, “The necessary things will be done before we meet the judges.”

EFCC had filed 19 criminal counts against Yahaya Bello bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering.

The charge filed at the Federal High Court 9 in Abuja, with charge FHC/ABJ/CR/98/2024, and dated March 9, 2024, listed Bello as the sole Defendant while the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the complainant.

The EFCC in the charge, accused the ex-governor of conversion of a total of N80,246,470,089.88 being funds belonging to the Kogi State government in February 2016 to himself, an offence which is contrary to Section 18(a) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.

Bello was also accused of indirectly using one Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu to use the sum of N950 million being proceeds of crime for the acquisition of property lying, being and situated at No. 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja, among other allegations