Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested and arraigned four women including a nursing mother for allegedly assaulting and biting some of its operatives to prevent the arrest of a suspect in Kaduna State.

EFCC in a statement issued few hours ago, indicated that the suspect which the women allegedly aided the escape had jumped bail severally and avoided being served her charges for arraignment.

EFCC in the report said the EFCC personnel overpowered the four suspected women and arrested them for obstruction of justice without any violence.

According to EFCC, the four women pleaded not guilty to the charges and the court remanded three of them to Kaduna Correctional prison and the Nursing mother to EFCC custody till May 2, 2024 to hear their bail application.

The EFCC news release reads in quote as presented below: “The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 arraigned four suspects before Justice A.A Bello of the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna.

They were docked for alleged obstruction of lawful duty and assault against officers of the Commission.

The suspects are; Rukayya Ahmed Mustapha, Sadiya Usman Mohammed, Ameera Uthman and Nafisat Usman.

They were arraigned on one count separate charges bordering on obstruction of lawful duty.

The one-count charge against Sadiya Usman Mohammed reads: ” That you, Sadiya Usman Mohammed on or about the 15th April, 2024 at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of the Kaduna State High Court willfully obstruct officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while carrying out an official assignment (effecting a lawful arrest at Number: 13 Jafar Organizer Street, Rigachukun, Kaduna) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 38(2)(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 38(2)(b) of the same Act.”

All the four suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsel, K.S. Ogunlade to pray for a trial date to bring the witnesses to court.  He also sought the remand of the defendants in Kaduna Correctional Centre.

Justice Bello, after listening to all counsels, remanded three of the suspects at the Kaduna Correctional Centre while Sadiya Usman Mohammed who was a nursing mother was remanded in EFCC custody. He adjourned the case to May 2, 2024, for hearing of their bail applications.

The suspects were arrested for obstructing officers of the Kaduna Command of the EFCC while making efforts to arrest one Hadiza Usman, who had jumped bail severally and avoided being served her charges for arraignment.

While trying to effect the arrest, the four suspects openly attacked operatives of the Commission and assaulted three of them, dragging and pulling their uniforms and biting another operative close to his collarbone and another on his left hand respectively.

Despite the confrontation by the suspects, the officers maintained discipline and professionalism, subdued and arrested the suspects, with no violence at all”.

It would be recalled that, on April 17, 2024, after Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo allegedly aided the escape and prevented EFCC operatives from arresting the former State Governor, Yahaya Bello, the anti corruption police issued a statement warning the general public that it will no longer tolerate any act of obstruction to its operations. It also said, any offender of such crime risked five years imprisonment in line with laws of Nigeria.

The statement and other press releases issued in connection with the escape and fraud case leveled against the former Governor, Yahaya Bello are presented below:

We Will No Longer Tolerate Obstruction of Our Operations

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission wishes to warn members of the public that it is a criminal offence to obstruct officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties.

Section 38(2)(a(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act makes it an offence to prevent officers of the Commission from carrying out their lawful duties. Culprits risk a jail term of not less than five years.

This warning becomes necessary against the background of the increasing tendency by persons and groups under investigation by the Commission to take the laws into their hands by recruiting thugs to obstruct lawful operations of the EFCC

On several occasions, operatives of the Commission have had to exercise utmost restraint in the face of such provocation to avoid a breakdown of law and order. Regrettably, such disposition is being construed as a sign of weakness.

The Commission, therefore, warns that it will henceforth not tolerate any attempt by any person or organisation to obstruct its operation as such will be met with appropriate punitive actions.

Alleged ₦80.2 Billion Fraud: EFCC Serves Yahaya Bello his Charges

Former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello was on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 served his charges through his counsel,
Abdulwahab Muhammad (SAN)
after Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja ruled that the defendant should be served through his counsel, especially as he failed to appear before the court, yet again.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is prosecuting
Yahaya Bello alongside his Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu on 19-count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of ₦80, 246, 470,089.88 kobo.

At Tuesday’s sitting, Bello’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe (SAN) prayed the court to quash the arrest warrant granted the
Commission against Bello, arguing that Tuesday’s substituted service to the defendant through his counsel Abdulwahab Muhammad (SAN) has invalidated the arrest warrant.

“The court is expected to do justice at all times. A warrant of arrest cannot be hanging on Bello’s neck when we are in this court. It appears to us that the defendant will not get justice because the court granted a warrant of arrest before service,” he said.

However, prosecution counsel, Kemi Piniero (SAN) in response, urged the court to decline hearing on any motion from Bello’s legal team until the defendant is physically present in court for his arraignment.

“The stage we are in now is to determine the whereabouts of the defendant. He cannot be in his house while the trial proceeds without him coming here to take his plea. My Lord, this is a criminal matter not a civil matter, he must come and take his plea. It is a matter of over N80 billion. All these applications by the defendant are to prevent his arraignment and frustrate the commencement of trial,” he said.

After hearing both counsels, Justice Nwite adjourned ruling on the defence’s
application, seeking a revocation of the arrest warrant on Bello till May 10, 2024.

How Yahaya Bello Declined EFCC’s Invitation for Interrogation- Olukoyede

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  Ola Olukoyede has disclosed that he made personal efforts to invite a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello to respond to investigations regarding his alleged involvement in money laundering to the tune of Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand and Eighty Nine Naira, Eighty Eight Kobo.

Olukoyede stated this in Abuja on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 while addressing media executives at the Corporate Headquarters of the EFCC.

According to him, he had a telephone conversation with Bello offering him ample opportunities to present himself for interrogation by investigators of the EFCC.

“On my honour, I put a call to him to honour him as a former governor. He said, I can’t come, claiming that a certain lady has surrounded the EFCC with over 100 Journalists to embarrass or intimidate him and all that stuff. I said if that is your fear, I will make you come directly to my floor. I will invite my operatives to interrogate you in my own office. What could be more honourable than that? Do you know what he said? ‘ Can’t they come to my village?’ My Director of Investigations also sent a message to him”, he said.

The EFCC’s boss said he was worried at the report of larceny available to the EFCC concerning the former governor. “A sitting governor, because he knew he was going, he moved money directly from the government’s account to a bureau de change to pay his children’s school fees in advance, $720, 000 in anticipation that he was going to leave government house”, he said.

Olukoyede also disclosed that the EFCC, in its bid to ensure the safety and stability of the foreign exchange market, has uncovered a new fraudulent scheme called P to P, peer to peer trading scheme.

The platform, according to him, is operating outside the official banking and financial corridors ,with more than 300 accounts linked to it already frozen by the EFCC.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the Commission to the economic growth and development of the country, promising that the EFCC would not relent in the exercise of its mandate.

He told the media executives that the Commission has recovered more than ₦120 billion from fraudsters within six months and secured more than 1300 convictions.

He called on Nigerians to be more dedicated to the nation, insisting that patriotic Nigerians should offer more support to the EFCC because the Commission is crucial to the growth and development of Nigeria. ‘’If you support the EFCC, you are working for the growth of Nigeria. We all have stakes in the wellbeing of our nation”, he said.

EFCC Denies Disobeying Court Order on Yahaya Bello

Against the backdrop of arguments and counter-arguments on whether the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has disobeyed a court order concerning the botched arrest of former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello, the Commission has denied disobeying any court order in this regard.

In a Press Statement signed by the EFCC’s Acting Director, Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, the Commission clearly pointed out that though Bello sought refuge in a fundamental rights enforcement action through an order granted by Justice Isa Jamil Abdulallahi of the Kogi State High Court, the order did not vitiate or nullify an order made by the Federal High Court for the arrest of the former governor for the purpose of his arraignment.

“The enrolled Order of the Kogi State High Court only granted an order to enforce Bello’s right to personal liberty and freedom of movement, it didn’t preclude the Federal High Court ‘to make any Order as it may deem just in the determination of the rights of the Applicant and the Respondent as may be submitted to her for consideration and determination”, he said.

He further stressed that, “The Order made by the Federal High Court for the arrest of Yahaya Bello for the purpose of his arraignment is not in conflict with the Order of the Kogi State High Court. The case before the Federal High Court is a criminal charge which is different from the fundamental rights enforcement action that is the subject of an appeal”.

Uwujaren pointed out that the EFCC had a shining track record in the prosecution of politically exposed persons and would continue to exercise its mandate in the overall interest of the nation. He admonished Bello to turn himself in and answer to the charges preferred against him by the Commission.

He called on all patriotic Nigerians to lend their voices in support of the Commission stressing that “the EFCC will not relent in its quest to wrestle corruption to the ground”.