I mmediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, remains at large 107 days after being declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
On April 18, 2024, the EFCC declared Bello wanted in connection with an alleged money laundering case amounting to N80,246,470,089.88. The declaration followed an incident on April 17, when armed men identified as ‘Special Forces’ and some policemen prevented EFCC operatives from apprehending Bello at his Wuse Zone 4, Abuja residence. The current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, was also present and escorted Bello away from the location.
The EFCC had previously obtained a warrant of arrest from a Federal High Court in Abuja to apprehend the former governor. Bello, alongside three other suspects—Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu—was to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite on 19 counts related to money laundering. However, the inability to arrest Bello has stalled the arraignment process.
Austin Okai, the House of Representatives candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 elections, claimed on June 21 that Bello was hiding in the state Government House in Lokoja. This claim contradicts earlier reports suggesting Bello had been smuggled out of the country after the raid on his house.
Despite ongoing efforts, the EFCC's manhunt for Bello continues as he refuses to surrender for arrest. Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, criticized the EFCC's efforts, suggesting that the agency has the sophisticated equipment necessary to track and arrest Bello. Nwanguma remarked, “It is surprising that despite all the hot waves and drama of the EFCC, including the vow of the chairman that he would resign if he couldn’t arrest Yahaya Bello, the man is still out there more than three months after he was declared wanted. If they truly wanted to arrest Yahaya Bello, they would have arrested him. If this was a case of a poor man, they would have easily arrested him.”
However, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale dismissed insinuations that the agency had been compromised or unwilling to arrest the former governor. Oyewale stated, “The matter is in court and there are various orders of the court. Senior lawyers who failed to bring him (Bello) to court are already slated for discipline. If an anti-corruption agency declares a suspect wanted, all over the world, he remains wanted until he is arrested. Yahaya Bello has been declared wanted and he remains wanted. Judicial processes have been instituted in court and they are ongoing.”
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