EFCC intensifies manhunt for Bello, detains Sirika, freezes 300 accounts

• Olukoyede: Yahaya Bello withdrew $720,000 from Kogi account to pay child’s school fees
• ‘You’re harassing, peddling lies against me’, Bello tackles EFCC
• EFCC quizzes ex-Aviation Minister over alleged ₦8 billion fraud
• Kogi Assembly demands removal of ‘wanted’ from Bello’s name

As the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello keeps the court and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) waiting over his appearance from hiding to defend corruption allegations leveled against him, chairman of the nation’s anti-graft body, Ola Olukoyede, yesterday disclosed sleazy details of their findings, revealing how the embattled ex-governor transferred $720,000 from the state government’s coffers to a bureau de change (BDC) before leaving office to pay in advance for his child’s school fee.

This is just as he disclosed that the EFCC has pounced on another worse scheme other than the crypto trading platform, Binance and had gone ahead to freeze about 300 accounts to ensure the safety of the foreign exchange (forex) market.

The scheme popularly called the ‘P-to-P’ peer-peer financial trading scheme has operated outside the official banking and financial corridors and there was a looming disaster that could further crash the Naira value that has continued to gain in recent times.

Olukoyede’s disclosure is coming on the heels of recent reports that the activities of governments after the disbursement of money by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) had contributed to the depreciation of the naira. It was observed until lately that portions of the funds from FAAC were often changed to dollars by some governments at the parallel market, putting more pressure on the naira.

An analysis showed that from July 2023 to January 2024, the naira depreciated in six months immediately in the black market after the FAAC shared money with the federal, state and local governments.

Olanipekun Olukoyede.

Olukoyede revealed these during an interview with journalists in Abuja yesterday. Pointedly, he said: “A sitting governor, because he knows he is going, moved money directly from government to bureau de change, used it to pay the child’s school fee in advance, $720,000 in advance, in anticipation that he was going to leave the Government House. In a poor state like Kogi, and you want me to close my eyes to that under the guise of ‘I’m being used.’ Being used by who at this stage of my life?”

Olukoyede further stated that he reached out to Bello, offering him a chance to clarify the situation in a respectful setting within the EFCC office but the ex-governor reportedly declined to cooperate, citing fears of harassment from an unnamed woman.

The EFCC boss said: “I didn’t initiate the case; I inherited the case file. I called for the file, and I said there were issues here. On my own, I called him, which I am not supposed to do, just to honour him as an immediate past governor. ‘Sir, there are issues. I’ve seen this case file. Can you just come let us clarify these issues? ’

“He said, ‘Haaa! Thank you, my brother. I know, but I can’t come. There’s one lady that has surrounded EFCC with over 100 people to come and embarrass me and intimidate me.’ ”

Bello was said to have suggested that the EFCC come to his village rather than investigate at the agency’s quarters.

“I said if that is the issue, I’m going to pass you through my gate, and you will come to my floor. We will accord you that respect. I will invite my operatives; they will interrogate and interview you in my own office. What could be more honourable than that to allay the fear? You know what he said: ‘Thank you, sir, but can’t they come to my village? Olukoyede added.

The EFCC chairman has vowed to resign from his position if Bello is not prosecuted. The agency is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.

Responding, Bello, who has since last Thursday been declared wanted, accused the EFCC of lying over claims that it was not harassing him, saying contrary to claims of EFCC, official records and court documents showed how the EFCC lied and hounded him.

Bello said this in a statement made available in Abuja by his media office and signed by an officer, Michael Ohiare, in reaction to EFCC’s rebuttal on alleged disobedience to court order in the case filed against the former governor.

Ohiare said “Official records and court documents relating to EFCC hounding of Bello establish a clear timeline of events. These documents were endorsed with dates and times of filing and payments, which are endorsed on court processes – all of which testify to the true sequence of events.”

Giving details of how the statement of the anti-corruption commission was allegedly untrue, Ohiare said in the first instance, EFCC had never invited the ex-governor formally. “EFCC claims to have invited Bello immediately after his tenure ended on January 27, 2024.

“We challenge the EFCC to produce a copy of this invitation, including the delivery date and the recipient’s name/endorsement. We are confident they cannot provide this simple evidence,” he said.

On the alleged preemptive charge, he said before any alleged invitation, EFCC amended Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/550/22 on Feb. 5, 2023, to accuse Bello of conspiring to convert over N80 billion of Kogi’s funds in September 2015. According to him, this amendment listed Bello as “still at large,” demonstrating a clear intention to arrest him.

On alleged impossible accusations, he said “the alleged timelines provided by EFCC for its phantasmagorical allegations of crime against Bello predates his inauguration as governor of Kogi on January 27, 2016.”

Besides, he said the second charge even attempted to correct the initial blunder and said the crime was committed in February 2016, less than a month after Bello became governor. Ohiare further said the total Kogi budget in 2016 was significantly less than the sum alleged in the charges.

Yesterday, the Kogi State House of Assembly ordered EFCC to vacate the ‘wanted’ tag that it has placed on the name and picture of Bello. This formed part of the resolutions during the House plenary and follows a matter of urgent public importance that was presented on the floor of the House by the member representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, Jibrin Abu.

In their resolutions, the lawmakers stated: “The EFCC, IGP, Immigration, NSA and other agencies conscripted into this melodrama be so informed and involved to act accordingly. The Commission should not allow itself to become a tool of political vendetta, blackmail, or intimidation against any individual through personal grudges, persecution, and campaign of calumny to tarnish the image of personalities from Kogi State, especially Yahaya Bello or any perceived political enemy of the characters hiding behind their executive powers to unleash allegations through media for public consumption and sympathy.

“The House condemns in its entirety a statement by legal practitioner suggesting a request that the military be involved in the case that does not constitute a threat to internal security or treasonable felony.”

Earlier in his motion, titled, “A call to end all false, frivolous, fictitious, and far from the truth smear campaign against the former governor,” Abu lamented that the anti-graft agency had been allegedly witch-hunting Bello for a long time.

“The consequence of this has deeply affected the minds, emotions, and impressions of Kogi citizens, and by extension, Nigerians. Kogi State, over the years, has witnessed a worrisome trend and torrent of witch-hunts by the anti-graft agency, unrepentantly striving to force corruption claims on the State Government and officials. This is not forgetting the plight of late Prince Abubakar Audu in the hands of the same agency, albeit, giving his dog a bad name for the kill.

In his ruling, the Speaker of the House, Aliyu Umar Yusuf, admonished the anti-graft agency not to act contrary to the law of the country. “This House is not against the EFCC doing their job, but they should do it within the ambit of the law and not in a Gestapo way.”

Hadi Sirika

Stepping up its investigation into some top officials of the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari, EFCC has taken into custody former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, in connection with an ongoing investigation related to money laundering amounting to N8,069,176,864.00.

The accused ex-minister made an appearance at EFCC’s Federal Capital Territory Command around 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

“Upon Sirika’s arrival at the EFCC FCT command, he is presently in questioning by EFCC investigators regarding alleged fraudulent contracts he authorised for a company called Engirios Nigeria Limited, which is owned by his younger sibling, Abubakar Sirika.”

During his chat with journalists, Olukoyede confirmed that the EFCC has been investigating the Aviation and Humanitarian Affairs ministries, saying the probe has not been about only Sirika and Betta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, but everything about the two ministries.

“It is the system I am investigating and whosoever is now found culpable along the line, those are the names you will hear,” Olukoyede stated.

Back in April, the ex-aviation minister’s younger brother, Abubakar Sirika, was arrested by EFCC operatives over alleged fraud in the ministry.

The former aviation minister was accused of conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, contract inflation, criminal breach of trust and money laundering amounting to ₦8,069,176,864. The agency said apart from being listed as the company’s MD/CEO, Abubakar was the sole signatory to the company’s two accounts, domiciled in Zenith and Union banks.

EFCC sources said Sirika awarded the contracts to his brother Abubakar, knowing that the latter is a civil servant, a deputy director on Level 16 in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, where he has been working since 2000 till date.

The first of the controversial contracts from the former minister to Engirios Nigeria Limited was on August 18, 2022, for the construction of the Terminal Building in Katsina Airport, at the cost of ₦1,345,586,500. The second was awarded on November 3, 2022, for the establishment of the Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre in Katsina Airport, valued at N3.8 billion.

The third contract was on February 3, 2023, for the procurement and instalment of lifts, air conditioners and power generator’s house in Aviation House, Abuja, at the cost of N615 million, while the fourth was awarded on May 5, 2023, for the procurement of Magnus Aircraft and simulator for Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria at the cost of N2.2 billion.

The source stated that out of the total contract sum, the ex-minister paid out N3.2 billion to his younger brother’s Engirios Nigerian Limited, who upon the receipt of the payment, transferred it to different companies and individuals. There is no trace of work done on any of the contract items to date.

On the investigation into the Binance alternative platform, the EFCC boss stated: “There are people in this country doing worse than Binance,” adding that over $15 billion passed through one of the platforms in the last one year, outside the financial regulations.

He added that the EFCC is committed to safeguarding Nigeria’s financial system’s integrity and protecting Naira’s value.

In recent months, the Federal Government has heightened its crackdown on Binance. Anjarwalla was one of the cryptocurrency chiefs arrested in the wake of the tussle. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had claimed that over $26 billion was channeled through Binance without a trace.

The EFCC chairman also highlighted the agency’s achievements during his tenure, stating: “We have recovered close to N120 billion and secured over 1,600 convictions in six months.

“I’m so passionate about the need for us to move forward in this country. We need the EFCC to survive. There are so many victims that we have wiped tears off their eyes, people that have been swindled in their millions. Every day, we keep recovering money for victims.”