The Media Office of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has issued a statement condemning operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the blockade at Bello’s residence in Abuja on Wednesday.
The statement also urged Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu to call the anti-graft agency to order.
The statement reads:
“The EFCC was duly served with that order on February 12, 2024, and on February 26, 2024, the EFCC filed an appeal (Appeal No.: CA/ABJ/CV/175/2024: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission v. Alhaji Yahaya Bello) against the said order to the Court of Appeal Abuja Division.
“The appeal was accompanied by a Motion for a Stay of Execution of the order of the High Court, which the Court of Appeal adjourned for hearing till April 22, 2024.
“Furthermore, judgment in the substantive case between Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the EFCC will be delivered at 12 noon today in Lokoja.
“Contrary to all of the above, the EFCC has now laid siege to the home of H.E Yahaya Bello, seeking to arrest him in contravention of the extant orders!
“It is a surprise that an agency led by a lawyer could flagrantly disobey a subsisting court order by taking actions contrary to the reliefs granted.
“We are aware of the total commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s current administration to the rule of law and can say categorically that the EFCC leadership might have offered the agency on a platter of gold to desperate politicians to convert it to their score-settling tool without minding the effect on its integrity and the image of Nigeria as regards the rule of law.”
The former governor’s media office also claimed that the anti-corruption agency was planning to disgrace and intimidate him with unfounded accusations.
News Central reported that EFCC officials were laying siege at Bello’s home in Wuse, Abuja.