In what looked like an act of a man ready to take a bullet for his master or predecessor, Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo personally led other security operatives and civilian supporters to the harm’s way of the personnel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, who barricaded and laid siege to the Abuja resident of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello with intention to arrest him over ₦84 billion alleged fraud while he was in office.

EFCC personnel heavily armed, barricaded the Abuja resident of the former governor right from 9:30am on Wednesday morning and met resistance from the private security guards and personal security officers attached to the former governor; who prevented the anti corruption police officers from entering the house, according to bystanders.

The EFCC operatives who appeared adamant, blocked all roads leading to the house, take positions and set their guns on alert and insisted on carrying out the Federal High Court order of arrest on the former governor.

While the personal security operatives of the former governor held EFCC personnel back, Governor Ododo around 2:30pm personally led other large numbers of security operatives to the scene.  The governor’s presence, according to onlookers, caused some pandemonium among the security operatives leading to shooting of guns and teargas.

The governor succeeded in smuggling and aiding the escape of the former governor from EFCC arrest.

The Punch Newspaper reported that the governor and his entourage drove out of the former governor’s compound around 4:30pm with Yahaya Bello inside the governor seat of power vehicle. Thereafter, the EFCC operatives and other security men retreated from the house.

We have earlier reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has taken over the Abuja home of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello with obvious plans to arrest him despite the former governor led by the incumbent governor, Usman Ododo reportedly visited the presidential villa coded named Aso Rock to see President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday.

Videos posted online showed personnel of EFCC blocked the both side of the road where the former Governor house is situated in Abuja.

The ex-governor through his media office has reacted to the siege laid by the EFCC, calling on the president to intervene.

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission stormed the Abuja home of the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, located in Wuse Zone 4, Federal Capital Territory on Wednesday morning.

Yahaya Bello had in a post published with photographs via his personal social media account on Monday after he had reportedly visited President Bola Tinubu stated below:

“Hearty Appreciation to our quintessential Leader, His Excellency, Mr. President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Jagaban of Africa. God bless you Your Excellency Sir. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria 🇳🇬”. The photographs of him alongside the current Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo with the President elicited more than a thousand comments on the former governor personal facebook page.

It would be recalled that EFCC had earlier dragged Yahaya Bello, his nephew Ali, one Dauda Sulaiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in an amended charge in March 2024 over an alleged ₦84 billion money laundering fraud.

The ex-governor’s media office, according to Punch Newspaper, in a statement, reacted and condemned the EFCC operatives’ actions while urging President Bola Tinubu to caution the EFCC.

“According to the statement, the presence of the operatives in Bello’s residence negated the order of injunction granted on February 9, 2024, by the High Court of Justice, Lokoja Division, in Suit Number: HCL/68M/2024 between Yahaya Bello versus EFCC, restraining the commission either by itself or its agents from harassing, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting him, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive fundamental rights enforcement action.

The statement read, “The EFCC was duly served with that order on February 12, 2024, and on February 26, 2024, the EFCC filed an appeal (Appeal Number: CA/ABJ/CV/175/2024: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission versus Alhaji Yahaya Bello) against the said order to the Court of Appeal Abuja Division. The appeal was accompanied by a Motion for a Stay of Execution of the order of the High Court, which the Court of Appeal adjourned for hearing till April 22, 2024.

“Furthermore, judgment in the substantive case between Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the EFCC will be delivered at 12 noon today in Lokoja.

“Contrary to all of the above, the EFCC has now laid siege to the home of His Excellency; Yahaya Bello, seeking to arrest him in contravention of the extant orders!

“It is a surprise that an agency led by a lawyer could flagrantly disobey a subsisting court order by taking actions contrary to the reliefs granted.
“We are aware of the total commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s current administration to the rule of law and can say categorically that the EFCC leadership might have offered the agency on a platter of gold to desperate politicians to convert it to their score-settling tool without minding the effect on its integrity and the image of Nigeria as regards the rule of law.”

The ex-governor’s media office further alleged that the anti-graft agency was plotting to embarrass and harass him through spurious allegations, especially the latest one dating back to September 2015, long before he assumed office.

The anti-graft agency, in the 17-count amended charge, accused Yahaya Bello of money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds to the tune of ₦84,062,406,089.88.

The EFCC had claimed in the amended charge that the former governor was at large.

Prior to the charge, the EFCC had arraigned Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello, before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for alleged money laundering involving ₦10 billion belonging to the Kogi State Government.

However, the state government faulted the charge, describing it as “ridiculous” and “laughable,” adding that it was impossible, as the former governor was not yet able to access or misappropriate state funds at the said time.

The state government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, had on February 7, 2024, accused the EFCC of being “infested with persons whose intents disagree with the noble intention of ‘Mr President’ to defeat corruption in Nigeria.”

Count one of the charges reads: “That you, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, Yahaya Adoza Bello (still at large) and Abdulsalam Hudu (still at large), sometime in September, 2015 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to convert the total sum of ₦80,246,470,089.88 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(b) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended,” the EFCC said in a release sent to SaharaReporters.

“While ex-Governor Yahaya Bello and Hudu are still at large, Ali Bello and Suleiman, first and second defendants respectively, who were present in court “pleaded not guilty” to all the charges when they were read to them”, Punch Newspaper report reads in quote.

Reacting, former presidential spokesperson and political analyst, Reno Omokri said:  “With all the shortcomings of former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi, and he has many defects, he has proven to be more successful than many of his colleague ex-Governors, because he has managed to sustain the loyalty of his successor, Usman Ododo, who came with heavy security to rescue him from a siege by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

This is coming when the Kaduna State House of Assembly is almost gleefully probing Nasir El-Rufai, and Wike and Fubara are in a supremacy battle for the soul of Rivers State.

No matter how good you performed as a Governor, if you cannot sustain the loyalty of a Governor you helped install, it raises questions about your judgment, and relationship build and managing skills.

Few people have been able to pull this off in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, including Tinubu, Shettima, Wamakko, and Umahi.

At the Presidential level, it has never happened for a sustained period. Not even Presidents from the same party. It is not an easy feat to pull off.

Look at Bola Tinubu. It is his ability to manage relationships, even with people he does not like, and who do not like him, that has got him thus far. Success without a successor who can also be your protector is a political disaster”.