Anti-graft agency , the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested INTERPOL to place former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello on a watchlist in North African countries: Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.
Bello is accused of 19 counts, including money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of about N80.2 billion in public funds.
Sources within the EFCC told The Nation that the decision to seek INTERPOL’s cooperation in the North African countries was driven by substantial evidence gathered during extensive probes into financial transactions and assets linked to Bello.
Meanwhile, other nations where the former governor is under watch include Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.
The report indicated that several options were being considered to address the Bello situation, including the possibility of storming the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja, where the former governor was suspected to be hiding.
The watchlist was activated in anticipation of the former governor’s scheduled appearance before a Federal High Court in Abuja on July 17th.
An EFCC source told the newspaper, ” We are aware of a botched exit to Morocco via Cameroon. We are determined to stop him from going on exile.
“From Singapore, the EFCC Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede was in Tunisia where he delivered a paper at a session on illicit financial flows. Thereafter, he had a meeting with all the Heads of INTERPOL in North Africa on the intelligence on the ex-governor.
“He formally asked INTERPOL to place Bello on Red Alert in all North African countries and it was accepted.
“We expect Bello to be in court to prove his innocence. EFCC has to do its work to avoid bad precedent.”
Ut was earlier reported that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) had filed a motion to withdraw as counsel for former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The move followed Bello’s failure to appear for his scheduled arraignment, prompting the EFCC to request the court to hold his legal team responsible for the absence, as they had previously guaranteed his presence for the trial.
The EFCC’s lead counsel, Kemi Pinhero (SAN), urged the court to sanction Bello’s legal representatives for consistently failing to produce their client, arguing that they have violated professional conduct rules. Pinhero cited Order 31(3) of the Rules of Professional Conduct, which states that a lawyer who fails to fulfill a court undertaking is not only in contempt but also guilty of misconduct
