EFCC Barricades Yahaya Bello’s House In Abuja

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have reportedly blocked the entrance to the house of Yahaya Bello, the immediate past governor of Kogi State in Wuse, Abuja.

A video shared by AIT showed operatives clad in police uniforms and red jackets barricaded the movements in and out.

According to sources, Bello’s house which is located at Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was barricaded for reasons yet unknown.

Sharing pictures of the barricade on Wednesday, the source said: “EFCC barricades Bello’ house in Abuja. No movement in the area as EFCC barricaded the house. They are yet to gain access.”

However, this new development may not be unconnected to the N84bn fraud case against him being prosecuted by the EFCC.

EFCC in an amended charge, accused the ex governor of diverting N80bn belonging to state funds in September 2015, four months before he assumed office.

His nephew, Ali Bello, was then arraigned before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, over alleged money laundering to the tune of N10 billion belonging to the State government.

The State Government faulted the charge describing it as “ridiculous” and “laughable”, saying it is impossible for the governor to have access to such money when he was yet to be in office.

The state government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, had on 7th February 2024, accused the EFCC of being “infested with persons whose intents disagree with the noble intention of ‘Mr. President’ to defeat corruption in Nigeria.”

However, EFCC later dragged the ex governor before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja for alleged N84 billion money laundering.

Bello’s nephew Ali Bello, Dauda Sulaiman and Abdulsalam Hudu were also arraigned as co-accused, on amended 17-count charge of money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of fund to tune of N84, 062,406,089.88.

Count one of the charges reads: “That you, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, Yahaya Adoza Bello (still at large) and Abdulsalam Hudu (still at large), sometime in September, 2015 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to convert the total sum of N80,246,470,089.88 (Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty-six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Eighty-nine Naira, Eighty-eight Kobo), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(b) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended,” the EFCC said in a release sent to SaharaReporters.

“While ex-Governor Yahaya Bello and Hudu are still at large, Ali Bello and Suleiman, first and second defendants respectively, who were present in court “pleaded not guilty” to all the charges when they were read to them.