The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has said he will resign from office if former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, is not eventually prosecuted for the fraud allegations levelled against him.
The EFCC boss, who disclosed this yesterday, during an interactive session with media executives at the EFCC Headquarters, Abuja, said, “I’m so passionate about the need for us to move forward in this country.
“The particulars of his case are there. It is before the court. He removed money directly to a Bureau de change, used it to pay the child’s school fees in advance – dollars”.
He said, “A sitting governor, because he knows he is going, moved money directly from government to bureau de change, used it to pay the child’s school fee in advance, $720,000 in advance, in anticipation that he was going to leave the Government House.
“In a poor state like Kogi, and you want me to close my eyes to that under the guise of ‘I’m being used.’ Being used by who at this stage of my life?”
According to the anti-graft agency’s boss, he honoured Bello by calling him personally to come to his office to defend the allegations but that he declined.
The EFCC has been making efforts to arraign Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion
Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered EFCC to serve a copy of the 19 criminal counts against the fleeing Yahaya Bello on his lawyer.
Justice Nwite gave the order yesterday, following the absence of Bello in court for his arraignment, relying on provisions of Section 382(4) and (5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
The trial judge directed the lawyer who announced an unconditional appearance for the defendant, Abdulwab Mohammed, (SAN), to receive a copy of the charge, on behalf of his client.
