Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, asserted on Tuesday that an anti-graft agency probe had shown that Yahaya Bello, the troubled former governor of Kogi State, had taken $720,000 out of the state coffers to cover his child’s tuition.

The head of the EFCC said that he had personally called Bello and asked him to address the matters at hand, but Bello declined to take the calls.

At the EFCC Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, on Tuesday, Olukoyede addressed editors, bureau chiefs, and media executives amidst the ongoing debate and rebuttals between the EFCC and the former governor.

Bello argues vehemently that the Federal High Court in Lokoja’s judgment from February 6 restricting the anti-graft agency was broken by the EFCC’s attempt to arrest and prosecute him for an alleged N80.2 billion fraud.

The EFCC had appealed the decision, he pointed out, but until the stay was lifted, he could not be taken into custody or charged.

The EFCC issued a wanted statement after an unsuccessful attempt to apprehend the former governor at his Abuja home on Wednesday of last week and his absence from the Federal High Court, where he was supposed to be arraigned, last Thursday.

He was added to a watchlist by the Nigerian Immigration Service as well.

Since then, he has been hiding.

A few young people in Kogi State demonstrated against the EFCC’s action against Bello on Tuesday.

The well-known Lokoja-Abuja Road was blocked by the protesting youngsters, resulting in traffic jams on the route.

But given the purported fraud revealed against Bello, the EFCC chairman told reporters on Tuesday that the anti-graft agency’s action against him was lawful.

Olukoyede said, “A sitting governor, because he knew he was going, removed money directly from the government’s account (and sent) to Bureau de Change, and used it to pay his child’s school fee in advance.

“Dollars – $720,000 in advance, in anticipation that he was going to leave the government house.”

Olukoyede added that he called Bello for a conversation after the EFCC allegedly discovered the fraud, but Bello turned him down.

“I called Yahaya Bello, as a serving governor, to come to my office to clear himself. I shouldn’t have done that. But he said because a certain senator had planted over 100 journalists in my office, he would not come.

“I told him that he would be allowed to use my private gate to give him a cover, but he said my men should come to his village to interrogate him.”

Olukoyede maintained that by attempting to apprehend the former governor at his home, the EFCC had not broken any laws.

“Rather, we have obeyed the law. I inherited the case and I didn’t create it. Why has he not submitted himself to the law?” he asked.

According to the EFCC chairman, there would be legal repercussions for anyone interfering with Bello’s arrest.

Olukoyede said, “I have arraigned two past governors who have been granted bail now – Willie Obiano and Abdulfatah Ahmed.

“If I can do Obiano, Abdulfatah Ahmed and Chief Olu Agunloye, my kinsman, why not Yahaya Bello?” Olukoyede said.

The EFCC chairman stated, “We would have gone after him since January,” in reference to the siege that was placed on Bello’s residence in Abuja last Wednesday.

“As early as 7 am, my men were there, over 50 of them. They mounted surveillance. We met over 30 armed policemen there. We would have exchanged fire and there would have been casualties.

“My men were about to move in when the Governor of Kogi State drove in and they later changed the narrative.”

Olukoyede said that everyone who had touched the country’s finances would be looked into and put on trial.

After that, he threatened to step down as head of the EFCC if fugitive Bello was not charged.

In the meantime, the Federal High Court in Abuja postponed making a decision on Bello’s motion to have the arrest warrant against him withdrawn until May 10.

Adeola Adedipe (SAN), Bello’s attorney, stated that Bello would have appeared in court on Tuesday for the rescheduled hearing.

Because the EFCC obtained the arrest warrant illegally, he pleaded with Justice Emeka Nwite to set it aside.

Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), the EFCC’s prosecutor, disagreed with the plea, arguing that Bello had no authority to ask a court he had neglected to appear in for petition.

Pinheiro declared that he would personally ask the court to revoke Bello’s arrest order if Bello were to come out of hiding.

Pinheiro said, “As his prosecutor, I will personally apply that the arrest warrant be set aside if he comes to court the next adjourned date.

“If he (Adedipe) gives an undertaking that his client will be in court on the next date, I can assure him that the arrest warrant will not be executed.”

“The main issue should be ascertaining the whereabouts of the defendant. All these applications he is filing are nothing but dilatory tactics intended to delay his arraignment and frustrate the proceedings.

“Our position is that the defendant should be denied the right of being heard until he is physically present before this court,” Pinheiro maintained.

Pinheiro further contended that until the defendant was charged, the court could not lawfully assume jurisdiction to resolve any application or objection in the case due to the restrictions of Section 396 of the ACJA, 2015.

Justice Nwite heard arguments from both sides and postponed the decision until May 10.