The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, uncovered a scheme by former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, who allegedly siphoned $720,000 from state coffers to pay his child’s school fees through a bureau de change.
Olukoyede made these revelations during an explosive interview with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, shedding light on the dire misuse of public funds.
“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?”
Despite extending an olive branch to Bello for clarification within the EFCC premises, the ex-governor reportedly rebuffed the offer, citing intimidation fears from an unnamed individual.
“I offered him the chance to explain the situation respectfully within our office, but he declined, citing harassment concerns from an unidentified woman,” Olukoyede lamented.
Bello’s audacious suggestion for the EFCC to conduct investigations in his village rather than at the agency’s headquarters was met with firm rebuttal from Olukoyede, who emphasized the need for due process.
The EFCC chairman, highlighting the agency’s relentless efforts in recovering stolen funds and securing convictions, underscored the imperative for justice to prevail in the face of such egregious misconduct.
PUNCH Online reports that Olukoyede has vowed to resign from his position if Yahaya Bello escapes prosecution.
The EFCC is poised to arraign Bello on 19 counts, encompassing alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds amounting to N80.2 billion, underscoring the gravity of the accusations leveled against the former governor.
