Officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have reportedly besieged the Abuja residence of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Eyewitnesses revealed that the EFCC officials cordoned off the ex-governor’s residence early Wednesday morning, leaving the purpose of their operation unclear.
Former Governor Bello, who served from January 27, 2016, to January 27, 2024, handed over the reins to his fellow All Progressives Congress (APC) member, Usman Ododo.
Supporters of the former governor gathered outside his residence as the EFCC operation unfolded, awaiting further developments.
The EFCC’s move comes on the heels of mid-March indictments against Yahaya Bello, implicating him in an alleged diversion of approximately N100 billion, reportedly committed before he assumed office in September 2015.
Bello, along with the Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor, Alli Bello, and another individual, Daudu Suleiman, were included in the amended suit filed by the anti-graft agency before Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The charges leveled against them include conspiracy to convert N80,246,470,089 to personal use, contravening the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011, and concealing large sums of money with a Bureau De Change operator in Abuja.
The Kogi State Government swiftly criticized the EFCC’s actions, labeling them as a “witch-hunt” against the former governor.
Efforts to ascertain the motive behind the EFCC’s operation at Yahaya Bello’s residence remained unsuccessful as of press time, leaving the public eagerly awaiting further developments in the unfolding situation.