In a bid to prevent the alleged financial fugitive, former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, from evading justice, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken drastic measures to track him down.
Leadership stated that The anti-graft agency has placed him on INTERPOL's watch list in three North African countries - Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria - in addition to the earlier watch list in Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.
The latest move is a response to intelligence suggesting that Bello may attempt to flee to any of these countries. The EFCC has been monitoring his movements closely and has reason to believe that he may try to escape justice by heading to North Africa.
The ex-governor is facing a 19-count charge of alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds worth N80.2 billion. Despite being summoned to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 13 and June 27, Bello failed to show up, instead filing an application for the transfer of his trial to the Federal High Court in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
Ahead of the next hearing scheduled for July 17, the EFCC has activated various options to prevent Bello's escape. According to an EFCC source, "We are aware of a botched attempt by Bello to exit Morocco via Cameroon. We are determined to stop him from going into exile."
In a recent trip to Tunisia, EFCC's Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, delivered a paper on illicit financial flows at a conference. Afterward, he met with heads of INTERPOL in North Africa and formally requested that Bello be placed on Red Alert in all North African countries. The request was granted, and the watch list has taken immediate effect.
"We suspect that Bello has been trying to buy time not to be available for arraignment," said the EFCC source. "We expect him to be in court to prove his innocence. EFCC has a duty to do its work and avoid bad precedent."
The EFCC's actions are aimed at ensuring that Bello faces justice for alleged financial crimes committed during his tenure as governor. The commission is leaving no stone unturned in its pursuit of accountability and transparency in Nigeria's public sphere.