Operatives from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have cordoned off the residence of Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, located in Wuse, Abuja.
The blockade, as reported by SaharaReporters, comes shortly after Bello’s recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House.
According to sources, the siege has halted all movement around his house on Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, in the nation’s capital.
A top source provided a photograph on Wednesday, illustrating the extent of the EFCC’s barricade and stated, “EFCC barricades Bello’s house in Abuja. No movement in the area as EFCC barricaded the house. They are yet to gain access.”
While specific reasons for the EFCC’s presence at Bello’s home were not immediately clear, it is believed to be related to the ongoing N84 billion fraud case against him.
The EFCC has previously charged Bello with financial fraud involving N84 billion.
Notably, in an amended charge, the agency accused him of misappropriating N80 billion of state funds in September 2015, four months before he officially took office.
The anti-graft agency further arraigned Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello, in the Federal High Court in Abuja, on charges related to laundering N10 billion of state funds.
The state government criticized the charges as “ridiculous” and “laughable,” asserting that Bello could not have accessed or misappropriated state funds at the time alleged.
In a statement by Kingsley Fanwo, Commissioner for Information and Communications, dated February 7, 2024, the government condemned the EFCC for being “infested with persons whose intents disagree with the noble intention of ‘Mr. President’ to defeat corruption in Nigeria.”
