Nigeria’s anti-graft agency chief affirmed Tuesday he had met his pledge to prosecute ex-governor Yahaya Bello on corruption charges, insisting the case remains active in court after his vow to resign if the probe faltered, amid ongoing scrutiny over high-profile delays.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Ola Olukoyede, reflecting on his April 2024 commitment, told Channels Television: “If I do not personally oversee the completion of the investigation regarding Yahaya Bello, I will tender my resignation as the chairman of the EFCC.”
He countered criticism over the timeline, stating: “Have I not made good that promise of commitment? Is Yahaya Bello not being prosecuted? The case is still in court.”
Olukoyede emphasized his role’s limits: “I have three cases against Yahaya Bello. Am I the judge who would determine the conviction? I have done my work. I have fulfilled my mandate. Nigerians must know that, and they must also encourage us in doing more. This man has been investigated, and we have filed charges against him, and the matter is gaining traction.”
Bello, Kogi State’s governor from 2016 to 2024, faces a 16-count indictment for alleged N110 billion ($62 million) property fraud alongside two aides, plus a separate 19-count charge for N80.2 billion fraud and money laundering before the Federal High Court.
The EFCC declared Bello wanted in April 2024 over the N80 billion case, accusing him of diverting $720,000 from state coffers to a bureau de change for his child’s school fees in advance of leaving office.
Olukoyede decried the act: “A sitting governor, because he knows he is going, moved money directly from government to bureau de change, used it to pay the child’s school fee in advance, $720,000 in advance, in anticipation that he was going to leave the Government House. In a poor state like Kogi, and you want me to close my eyes to that under the guise of ‘I’m being used.’ Being used by who at this stage of my life?”
