EFCC Begged Yahaya Bello To Go 4 Hours After Voluntarily Presenting Himself At Their Office –Ex-Gov’s Media Office
the former governor accused the EFCC of being bent on tarnishing his image with the media, insisting that he still remained innocent until a court of competent jurisdiction says otherwise.
Former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has claimed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) begged him to leave four hours after he voluntarily presented himself at their office.
Bello who disclosed this through his Media Office in a statement on Wednesday, however, berated the anti-graft agency for “being desperate to execute a hatchet job for unknown interests”.
Signed by the Director, Yahaya Bello Media Office, Ohiare Michael, the former governor accused the EFCC of being bent on tarnishing his image with the media, insisting that he still remained innocent until a court of competent jurisdiction says otherwise.
On Wednesday, SaharaReporters reported that the EFCC stated that former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello should be more interested in clearing his name than playing the victim and crying about persecution, where none exists.
The commission had in statement titled “Yahaya Bello Must Have His Day in Court” asserted that the appropriate place of surrender would be before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, before whom his legal team had undertaken to produce him to answer to the 18 counts of money laundering preferred against him by the EFCC.
Reacting to the EFCC’s statement, Bello through his media office, described it as “a face-saving but badly scripted statement,” and asked why an agency which had declared the “former governor wanted, would beg him to go after four hours, after voluntarily presenting himself at the EFCC office”.
The media office noted that it became more worrisome and disturbing when the same EFCC that said the former governor could not be interrogated or detained because he came with a sitting governor, who is protected by law could as well go to the official lodge of the same sitting governor, while he was there, shooting sporadically, to forcefully arrest a man that had previously been in their office for over four hours!
It reminded EFCC and all Nigerians that Bello remains innocent of the trumped-up charges against him until proven guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction, noting that media trial will not subvert the constitutionality of Nigeria laws.
“No matter how much the EFCC tries to call an albino a white man for Nigerians in this case, the truth is gradually being uncovered,” it said.
The statement partly reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a face-saving but badly scripted statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on the ongoing case between the Commission and the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, HE Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
“The statement, which should be regarded as an embarrassment to the anti-graft agency itself, is filled with all forms of vulgar invectives that clearly show malicious intentions against the former Governor rather than the EFCC’s pretentious fight against corruption.
“Ordinarily, we would not have responded to the clear absurdities in the press statement, signed by Mr. Dele Oyewale, but for the need to set the records straight.
“The EFCC has already shown to the world, with its operational blunder, last Wednesday, that there is another motive behind its fixation on Kogi State and the former Governor other than the fight against corruption. The interesting thing is that the more the Commission issues press statements under tension, the more glaring this assertion becomes.
“It is, however, sad that an agency as important as the EFCC has now degenerated to the level of crafting press statements in rogue styles to satisfy the hirers of the gun. Even if he is striving hard to keep his shirt by satisfying some supposed benefactors, like some have insinuated, the EFCC Chairman must be reminded that we are a member of the global village.
“What the Commission should be doing now is self re-appraisal with a view to repairing whatever is left of its battered image and not still dragging the name of our President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the mud with practices that are completely alien to the fight against corruption the world over.
“We want to reiterate that former Governor Yahaya Bello has acted like a democrat by subscribing to the rule of law and by approaching competent courts of jurisdiction to protect him.
“He is never afraid of facing justice, hence his submission to the trials at various courts. The laws allow for representation and he has constantly been represented by his lawyers. As a Nigerian, he has the right to explore all avenues within the rule of law to protect his fundamental human rights. The EFCC cannot dictate to him, or anyone for that matter, how to go about this.
“Right now, it seems the only task before the EFCC is to execute a desperate hatchet job of destroying the former governor’s reputation and defaming him for no justifiable reason.
“But the EFCC must enlighten itself on the fact that former Governor Yahaya Bello remains innocent of the trumped-up charges against him until proven guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction.
“As we write, many informed Nigerians, at home and abroad, cannot still understand why an anti-graft agency, which had declared the former governor wanted, would beg him to go after four hours, after voluntarily presenting himself at the EFCC office.
“The most disturbing aspect of the whole saga is that officials of the same EFCC that said the former governor could not be interrogated or detained because he came with a sitting Governor, went to the official lodge of the same sitting governor, while he was there, shooting sporadically, to forcefully arrest a man that had previously been in their office for over four hours!
“No matter how much the EFCC tries to call an albino a white man for Nigerians in this case, the truth is gradually being uncovered.
“Former Governor Yahaya Bello will fight to the end on the lane of constitutionality and will not succumb to the baits and traps of an Agency that has shown bias, contempt and a clear attempt on his life.
“We want to put it on record here again that former Governor Yahaya Bello is a respecter of the rule of law. He had, only all along sought the enforcement of his fundamental human rights like any other citizen is entitled to.
“On the other hand, the EFCC, despite being a creation of the law, has demonstrated gross disrespect for the rule of law. This is evident in the agency’s bullying, oppressive and reprehensible tactics of disregarding valid orders in cases relating to perceived enemies of their “sponsors or paymasters” and choosing to obey orders when they concern those in the good books of their godfathers.
“In this particular case, the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has shown clearly that he is either fighting a personal battle for reasons he must explain sooner than later or striving so hard to keep the trust of certain enemies of former Governor Yahaya Bello, who might have given him an assignment that he must execute at all costs.”
