chairman of the nation’s anti-graft body, EFCC , 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 before leaving office to pay in advance for his child’s school fee.
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. 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? ’
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. 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.
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. 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.
“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.” 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.
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