- Safiu Kehinde
A political advocacy group, Campaign for Democracy, has called for the removal of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, over failure to poor handling of Yahaya Bello’s case.
The group made this call in a statement issued by its President, Ifeanyi Odilli, on Thursday.
As contained in the statement made available to NPO Reports, Odili accused the EFCC boss of lacking capacity in handling his office following the detention saga between the Anti-graft agency and former Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, who was placed on watchlist over alleged money laundering.
In a twist of event, the wanted ex- governor had turned himself over to the EFCC on Wednesday.
Odili recalled how Yahaya Bello was told to leave after waiting for hours at the EFCC headquarters only to be later declared wanted with operatives of the commission allegedly raiding his lodge- an action they Campaign for Democracy group condemned.
“It is unimaginable that the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, who the same EFCC had declared wanted, who was placed on watchlist, who the Commission enlisted security agencies in Nigeria and Interpol to help fish out, walked into the EFCC premises on Wednesday morning, waited for about three hours, and no arrest or interrogation happened.
“Instead, senior officials of the Commission told him to go, that they would get back to him only to issue a laughable statement that he was still a wanted man. How can someone who brought himself to you still be at large?
“The EFCC’s excuse that they couldn’t arrest him because a sitting governor accompanied him to their office is the main reason Olukoyede should be asked to go.” Odilli wrote.
Meanwhile, Odili declared the group’s interest in the case as they claimed Yahaya Bello had fulfilled all righteousness by turning himself over to the EFCC.
“Many people had castigated former Governor Yahaya Bello for long even though many others believed the case was mainly that of persecution. In all of this, CD did not dabble into the matter.
“Now that the matter has taken a dramatic turn, one that touches on democratic principles and affects the country’s image, it is pertinent for well meaning Nigerians to lend their voice.
“Associates of the former governor had been raising the alarm that his life is at risk. With the events of yesterday (Wednesday 18th September, 2024), any right thinking person would conclude that his life must be truly at risk.
“You said you couldn’t arrest him or interrogate him in your office because his governor was there, yet you went, at night, to the official residence of the same governor in Abuja to start firing gunshots as if Nigeria is a lawless society.
“This is clearly unacceptable. In saner climes, the EFCC boss would have been fired the next morning.
“The man, Yahaya Bello, has fulfilled all righteousness. With the turn of events that culminated in a show of shame last night, it appears the EFCC has an ulterior motive definitely different from the fight against corruption.” Odilli added.