Ola Olukoyede, chair of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says he will tender his resignation if he does not prosecute Yahaya Bello
Ola Olukoyede, chair of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says he will tender his resignation if he does not prosecute Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state, to a logical conclusion.
“If I do not personally oversee the completion of the investigation regarding Yahaya Bello, I will tender my resignation as the EFCC chair,” he said.
The EFCC boss also vowed that everyone involved in obstructing Bello’s arrest from his Abuja residence will face the full wrath of the law.
“I called Yahaya Bello, as a serving governor, to come to my office to clear himself. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.
“But he said because a certain senator has planted over 100 journalists in my office, he would not come. I told him that he would be allowed to use my private gate to give him a cover, but he said my men should come to his village to interrogate him.”
Olukoyede said the EFCC did not violate any law while trying to arrest the former governor from his residence.
“Rather, we have obeyed the law. I inherited the case and I didn’t create it. Why has he not submitted himself to the law?” he asked.
“I have arraigned two past governors who have been granted bail now — Willie Obiano and Abdulfatah Ahmed. We would have gone after Bello since January but we waited for the court order.
“As early as 7 am, my gallant men were there. Over 50 of them. They mounted surveillance. We met over 30 armed policemen there. We would have exchanged fire and there would have been casualties.
“My men were about to move in when the governor of Kogi drove in and they later changed the narrative.”
He vowed that all those who have dipped their hands into the public till would be investigated and prosecuted.
“If I can do Obiano, Abdulfatah Ahmed and Chief Olu Agunloye, my kinsman, why not Yahaya Bello?” Olukoyede said.
Olukoyede also said that Bello withdrew $720,000 from the state’s coffers to pay his child’s school fee in advance.
He alleged that the Bello transferred money from the state coffers to a bureau de change operator, and used the money for his child’s school fee in advance.
Olukoyede added that Bello made the payment in anticipation that his tenure was gradually coming to an end.
“A sitting governor, because he knew he was leaving office, moved money directly from the government to bureau de change and used it to pay his child’s school fee in advance,” the EFCC boss said.
“Over $720,000 in anticipation that he was going to leave the government house. In a poor state like Kogi, you want me to close my eyes under the guise of ‘I’m being used’. Used by who? At this stage of my life.”
The EFCC is prosecuting Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.
