*Ex-gov wanted to be investigated in his village, Olukayode says
*71% Nigerian companies fell victim to cyber crimes, lost over S760m
By Stella Odueme and Stellamaries Amuwa
The Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed how he personally offered the embattled former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the special privilege of visiting his office to be interviewed by EFCC operatives.
Unfortunately, the EFCC chairman said Bello spurned the offer, claiming that one of his political rivals, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, had planted over 100 journalists around the EFCC headquarters to embarrass him whenever he is sighted there.
This disclosure came on the same day Bello prayed a Federal High Court in Abuja to vacate the arrest warrant issued to the EFCC against him on April 17.
Bello, through his lawyer, Adeola Adedipe SAN, made the application following an order by Justice Emeka Nwite, directing the EFCC to effect the service of the charge and proof of evidence on the ex-governor’s lead counsel, Abdulwahab Mohammed SAN.
Justice Nwite had earlier ordered the EFCC’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, to serve Mohammed, the lead counsel of Bello, with bundles of the charge and the proof of evidence in a ruling on Tuesday.
Bello’s counsel told the trial judge that the former embattled governor “wants to come to court, but he is afraid there is an order of arrest hanging on his neck”.
Briefing the media Tuesday in Abuja, the EFCC boss said even after he offered Bello the use of his personal entrance to evade the prying eyes, the former governor still insisted that EFCC operatives should come to his village to interview him.
Olukayode expressed disappointment at the political and ethnic colouration been given the bid to prosecute former Governor Bello, whom the agency accused of embezzling over N80 billion belonging to Kogi State.
According to the EFCC chairman, the invitation to Bello is not a witchhunt, nor anything extraordinary, stressing that the Commission is prosecuting a former Minister of Power, Dr. Olu Agunloye, who hails from his state; former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, wondering why there were so much fuss Bello’s prosecution.
“But for the need get all necessary court documents”, noted the EFCC chairman, “the commission would have moved to arrest the former governor earlier in the year”.
In a veiled reference to Gov. Usman Ododo, whose visit to Bello’s Abuja home reportedly scuttled efforts to arrest the former governor, the EFCC boss said his office was compiling the list of all those who made Bello’s escape possible, and would bring the full weight of the law to bear at the appropriate time.
“Every Governor has a tenure. Nobody will be governor forever.
“If you think that, because you are a Governor and therefore can commit any crime in the name of immunity, you won’t enjoy that immunity for ever.
“At the appropriate time, you shall be made to account for those crimes,” he stated.
The EFCC boss appealed for support in the fight against financial and economic crimes, saying such crimes were taking a huge toll on Nigeria’s economy.
“A 2022 report showed that 71 percent of Nigerian companies fell victim to cyber crimes and lost over S760m.
“In the first none months of last year, Nigerian banks lost N8 billion to electronic wire fraud,” Olukoyede stated.
He lamented the rise in the number of “419” training schools across the country, stressing that cyber crimes has now become the third largest GDP after the United States and China, and appealing for support to combat the global menace.
