Alleged Fraud: EFCC Withdraws Operatives from Yahaya Bello’s House

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has withdrawn its operatives from the home of former governor of Kogi State,, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, over alleged fraud.

The EFCC operatives had on Wednesday mounted surveillance around the home of Bello on No 9 Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, apparently to effect his arrest.

The EFCC operatives retreated shortly after the sitting governor of Kogi State, Usmaan Ododo, who paid him a visit, departed around 4.30pm.

It was, however, not clear wether Ododo, who had arrived the premises of the governor with his convoy around 2.30pm went with the former governor or left him behind.

It was learnt that the withdrawal of the operatives of EFCC was as a result of court order, which restrained the commission from arresting, detaining or prosecuting the former Kogi governor.

A High Court sitting in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, had on Wednesday restrained the EFCC from infringing on the fundamental human rights of Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

In a 2-hour judgment delivered on Wednesday at High Court 4 and presided over by Hon. Justice I. A. Jamil, in suit no HCL/68/M/2020, the court restrained the EFCC from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the applicant, except as authorised by the court.

This is a definite order following the earlier interim injunction given.

The judgment followed the suit brought before the court by Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the applicant, seeking to enforce his fundamental rights against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The court equally restrained the respondents from continuing to persecute the applicant.

Earlier in the judgment, the court dismissed the issue of jurisdiction as challenged by the EFCC.

The applicant’s counsel, SA Abbas and MS Yusuf, described the judgment as a landmark, while the
defence counsel, T. U. Odima and Patrick O. Jibril also aligned themselves to the judgment, describing it as thorough.