Amalgamated Unions Of Concern Kogi Citizens Call President Tinubu, CJN To Intervene In Persecution Of Yahaya Bello By EFCC

By Abubakar Suleman

The Amalgamated Unions Of Concerned Kogi Citizens has described the actions of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the ongoing face-off with the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, as “trial by mischief”.

This was contained in a world press conference addressed by the spokesperson, Hon. David Ehimony at EdgeDrive Hotel, Lokoja,,The Forum appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Chief Justice Of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to come to the aid of citizens of kogi by stopping the alleged intimidation, harassment and persecution of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State Alhaji Yahaya Bello by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, (EFCC) over alleged N80.2billion fraud.

The spokesman, David Ehimony who is also the kogi state chairman, Middle Belt Forum, noted that the former Kogi State Governor has worked in collaboration with various security agencies, to tackle insecurity frontally and made Kogi State one of the most secured states in the country.

” We are calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come to our aid in ensuring that professionalism is applied to the prosecution of Former Governor Yahaya Bello, instead of the ongoing persecution as we have noticed in the scheme of things,

Ehimony further noted that the Forum of Amalgamated Unions of Concerned Kogi State Citizens cannot turn their back on former Governor Bello who they believed has left lasting legacies in the annals of Kogi State.

The forum also called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to checkmate the shopping of judgements and granting of conflicting injunctions by some Judges handling corruption cases in the country.

According to him, ” The same Former Governor Yahaya Bello made sacrifices and challenged vested interests by insisting on the APC Presidential primary election to elect APC candidate in 2023. Without this primary election, Mr President might not have been President today based on conspiracies against his candidature”,he stressed.

” If the harassment of our leaders go unabated, the People of Kogi state might be forced to make a statement. With our strategic and historical position in Nigeria, bounded by 9 states and the FCT, linking Southern Nigeria to Northern Nigeria, our statement will be very loud. We demand that our people be treated with dignity and honour deserving of human beings in the candor of other Nigerians”.

The group recounted the long battle between Yahaya Bello and the anti graft agency when he was in office after living office on 27th January 2024.

“On 18th of September 2024, Wednesday precisely, the long ill-scripted battle plan against our dear state reached its crescendo. In an appalling manner, we saw those who were supposed to uphold the laws of the land throwing caution to the wind,

“The same night, the whole world witnessed a bizarre incident where gun wielding officials, working on the orders of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), attacked a sitting Governor in an official lodge,

“EFCC personnel stormed Kogi Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, in the night, shooting sporadically all in a bid to arrest the immediate past Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who had earlier in the day, voluntarily honored the EFCC invitation,

“This incident, following series of crude actions and statements birthed our first question: WHO IS AFTER ALHAJI YAHAYA BELLO? We Recalled that the Former Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello rose to stardom without a political god-father.

“He became Governor of Kogi State against the usual tradition of riding on the back of god-fathers. He served meritoriously for eight years and bowed out gracefully when the incumbent Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, took over the reins of leadership in Kogi State.

” In the course of his service to Kogi State, and Nigeria by extension, he might have stepped on some big toes who now want him out at all cost. These aggrieved vested interests, we believe, are playing the tunes EFCC is dancing to.

“In the last three years, it has become obvious that the anti-graft agency is in a hurry to persecute Yahaya Bello based on the following inconsistent actions which have exposed the Commission’s mischiefs: The EFCC told the whole world in August 2021 that N20 Billion bailout fund meant for Kogi workers had been diverted into a private account.

“The commission secured an order of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to freeze Kogi State salary bailout account domiciled in Sterling Bank Plc over a ₦20 billion loan allegedly obtained from the bank.

“Justice Tijjani Ringim granted the order to freeze the account pending the conclusion of the investigation or possible prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“However, both the Sterling Bank and the Kogi State Commissioner for Finance debunked EFCC’s claims as the allegations were totally untrue. Instead of admitting its error, EFCC published another falsehood on its official social media pages that the bailout fund had been returned to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). After Kogi State Government sued EFCC and demanded N35 Billion in damages, the commission quietly withdrew the case in court.

“On the 5th day of February 2023, in an ongoing trial of other persons in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/550/22 before Honourable Justice J.K. Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, EFCC amended the charge to include in Count 1 thereof, the allegation that Yahaya Bello conspired with others, including a Kogi State Government House Cashier, in September 2015, to convert the sum of N80 Billion. EFCC alleged that Former Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello stole money from Kogi state government coffers in 2015, a time he had not been in office as Governor.

“It is disgraceful that the EFCC, which claims to be an expert agency in investigating and prosecuting corruption cases alleged that Yahaya Bello stole a part of N80bn along with others from Kogi State’s coffers in September 2015, months before he was sworn in as governor in January 2016. Having realised its blunder, EFCC reworked the charges to indicate the alleged offense was committed in February 2016, just three weeks after Bello assumed office as Governor.

“The election that produced Alhaji Yahaya Bello, CON, as Governor of Kogi was only conducted in November 2015. Indeed, H.E. Captain Idris Wada of the PDP held sway as Governor of Kogi State at the material time until he handed over to H.E Yahaya Bello on the 27th day of January 2016. Former Governor Yahaya Bello could therefore not have as of September 2015 conspired with anyone to convert any money belonging to the Kogi State Government.

“This has clearly shown the desperation by EFCC to nail Former Governor Yahaya Bello because they’ve been exposed to the world that it is nothing but mischief “.