Alleged N145m Fraud: EFCC Docks Deputy Director In Police Affairs Ministry

The Deputy Director of Accounts in the Ministry of Police Affairs, Bello Na’ Allah Yabo, has been arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday over alleged N145.3 million fraud.

The Lagos division of the EFCC arraigned Yabo before Justice A.I. Ogunmoye of the Ado-Ekiti High Court on a 13-count charge bordering on “conspiracy, fraudulent diversion of funds and money laundering”.

In a statement posted on its official Facebook account, the anti-graft agency said Yabo’s alleged offence contravenes Sections 383(1) and 390(5) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2009.

“Yabo is facing trial alongside his company, Imrana Ventures, for allegedly using his position as a former Pay Officer, Nigeria Police Force, Ekiti State, in 2015 to divert to his personal use, money meant as the emoluments of police officers in the state. The defendant allegedly concealed the proceeds of crime through his company account domiciled in Unity Bank,” read the statement.

One of the counts preferred against the Accounts Director by the EFCC reads, “That you, Bello Na’Allah Yabo, a.k.a. Imrana Ventures, between February 3 and 5, 2015, in Ado-Ekiti, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently converted to your use the sum of N21,899,600.00 (Twenty- One Million, Eight Hundred and Ninety-Nine Thousand, Six Hundred Naira), property of the Nigeria Police Force.”

It was learnt that Yabo pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him, after which the prosecution counsel, George Chia-Yakua, asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.

But the defence counsel, Y.C, Maikyau, urged the court to grant his client bail, of which the prosecution counsel asked the court to turn down on the grounds that no material had been put before the court to warrant the bail application.

Justice Ogunmoye however ordered that Mr Yabo be remanded in the Ado- Ekiti federal prison, just as the judge adjourned the matter to December 6, 2018 for ruling on the bail application and January 22 and 23, 2019 for commencement of trial.