The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has taken a significant step in its efforts to apprehend former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello by requesting INTERPOL to place him on a watch-list in three North African countries: Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.
This decision follows credible intelligence indicating that Bello might be attempting to evade justice. Additionally, Bello is already on the watch-lists of Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.
This move comes ahead of Bello’s scheduled court appearance on July 17th at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he faces 19 charges, including allegations of money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of approximately N80.2 billion in public funds. Despite vehemently denying these charges, Bello has missed two previous court dates, on June 13th and June 27th, and has since filed a request to transfer his trial to the Federal High Court in Lokoja.
An EFCC source revealed that the commission is exploring several strategies to ensure Bello’s appearance in court, including the possibility of a direct intervention at the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja, where Bello is suspected to be hiding. The source stated, “Ahead of the next hearing of the case, EFCC has activated many options, including taking a concrete action to watch-list Bello in North Africa. We are aware of a botched exit to Morocco via Cameroon. We are determined to stop him from going on exile.”
The EFCC Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, while attending a session on illicit financial flows in Tunisia, met with the Heads of INTERPOL in North Africa. During this meeting, Olukoyede formally requested that INTERPOL issue a Red Alert for Bello across all North African countries. “He formally asked INTERPOL to place Bello on Red Alert in all North African countries, and it was accepted. The watch-list has taken immediate effect. He will be arrested in any part of North Africa,” the EFCC source confirmed.
This action underscores the EFCC’s commitment to ensuring that Bello faces trial, as the commission aims to avoid setting a negative precedent. The source added, “We took this step because we suspect that he has been avoiding arraignment. We expect Bello to be in court to prove his innocence. The EFCC has to do its work to avoid setting a bad precedent.”
In the most recent court session, Bello’s legal representative, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), applied to withdraw his appearance for Bello and notified the court of a pending application to transfer the case to the Federal High Court in Lokoja. Adedipe’s application is based on Section 45 of the Federal High Court Establishment Act, which allows for the transfer of cases to different jurisdictions.
