Why We Couldn't Arrest Yahaya Bello When He Came To Our Car Park - EFCC ~ OsazuwaAkonedo
Why We Couldn't Arrest Yahaya Bello When He Came To Our Car Park - EFCC ~ OsazuwaAkonedo #BDC #Emeka #Kogi #Abuja #Bello #Immunity #news #Nwite #Ododo #Usman #Yahaya https://osazuwaakonedo.news/why-we-couldnt-arrest-yahaya-bello-when-he-came-to-our-car-park-efcc/27/09/2024/ #EFCC Published: September 27th, 2024 Reshared: September 27, 2024 8:13 pm Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC says he could not arrest the former
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, AFCC says he could not arrest the former governor
00:06of Kogi State when the former governor came to the car park arena of the commission's headquarters
00:11recently because he was holding the hand of the current Kogi State governor, Usman Ododo,
00:17who have immunity. AFCC stated this on Wednesday while giving account before Federal High Court
00:24sitting in Abuja on why the former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Beno, was absent at the court.
00:30According to EFCC, if they had made an attempt to arrest the former governor of the commission's
00:36car park, there would have been a possible anarchy because the governor, Usman Ododo,
00:41came almost entirely with the security operatives attached to his office.
00:47Meanwhile, a witness also narrated how the former governor was sending money out of Kogi
00:52State government coffers to him to convert the state funds to dollar for the payment of his
00:57children's school fees. Details of this and other related news releases by the public relations
01:03unit of EFCC are presented below. Alleged 3 billion nairas fraud,
01:09how money flowed from Kogi State government to my account's BDC operator. Jamilu Abdullahi,
01:16an Abuja-based Borode change operator and third prosecution witness in the trial of Ali Belu.
01:22On Thursday, September 26, 2024, gave a narrative of the financial transactions
01:29between him and the Kogi State government under former governor,
01:33Yahaya Belu before Justice Obiora Iguatu of the Federal High Court, Maitama Abuja.
01:39The rundown includes how the former governor repeatedly paid school fees of his three
01:44daughters in dollars through him and his companies. Ali Belu, the current chief of staff to Kogi State
01:50governor, Ousmane Ododo, is the nephew of Yahaya Belu. He is facing prosecution by the Economic
01:58and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on 18 count charges of money laundering and misappropriation
02:05to the tune of over 3 billion nairas, alongside Abadaudu, Yakubu Adebenegi, and Iyada Sadat.
02:13Led in evidence by the Prosecution Council, Rotemi Oyedepu, son, the witness disclosed that
02:20in one of the locations, Daudu, the second defendant brought $300,000, $300,000 in cash
02:29to him for the payment of Yahaya Belu's daughters. School fees. Abadaudu called me to say that they
02:36have a transaction though it was on the weekend, but I drove down to the office and waited for
02:41them to come. Upon their arrival, three of them came. One of them stayed in the car with the
02:48driver. Two of them went to my office and a friend of Abadaudu was holding black leather
02:53bag containing $300,000. Upon entering, he greeted and Abadaudu introduced him as his friend and
03:02business partner saying he has a transaction. He dropped $300,000 in cash. I wanted to count
03:10the dollars before they left, but I could not due to the power outrage. I told him I cannot use my
03:17hands and needed to confirm that it was $300,000, so I locked the dollars in my office safe and two
03:24of them left. Then, Abadaudu's friend said when I confirm the sum, details will be forwarded to me
03:32for payment. However, the sum of $300,000 attracts some sudden charges which he said I should
03:40calculate and let Abadaudu know. After I completed the transfer, I forwarded four receipts indicating
03:47$75,000 four times to Abadaudu, and he confirmed to me that the payment was confirmed successfully,
03:55he said. When asked by the prosecution council if he knew anything regarding the transactions on
04:02Exhibit D, pages 50, 52 and 53, he said, yes I know the transactions of $75,000 being paid to the
04:12school four times totally, the sum of $300,000 as forwarded by Abadaudu and further confirmed
04:19that the fees was paid for one of Yahaya Belu's daughters, and the name of the recipient is Naima
04:26Belu, he said. Another payment of the fees, he recalled, was done by a company, Alishwa Solutions
04:35Services which he said paid the sum of $42,170 for Naima Belu. It was paid on behalf of the
04:44student Naima Belu for school fees based on the instruction and as forwarded by Abadaudu,
04:50and the date is the 24th of January 2022. On page 7 of the Exhibit D was $78,160 he identified
05:02as payment for school fees through Alishwa Solutions Services in respect of another
05:08Yahaya Belu's daughter, Fatima Ozayogu Belu. Based on the receipt before me, I am seeing
05:15acknowledgement of $78,135 being paid for Fatima Belu and on the Alishwa Solutions Services,
05:23he said. On page 1 of Exhibit D, he identified a transaction of $44,675 also for Naima Belu.
05:35I have seen it on the receipt of the payment. $44,700 was paid to the school,
05:46but due to internal charges from the bank, $25 was deducted, making the total balance of $44,675,
05:56he said. The beneficiary school, he told the court, was American International School, ASH.
06:04Regarding transactions from Daudu's company, Kiles Nature Ltd. to his own Kunfayakun Company's
06:10account on December 15 and 17, 2021, he said, I received the sum of N100,000,000 on the 15th of
06:20December 2021 from Kiles Nature. On the 17th of December 2021, I received N400,000,000.
06:29Meanwhile, on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd December 2021, I received N100,000,000.
06:39On the 22nd December 2021, I received the sum of N100,000,000 only.
06:47On the 23rd of December 2021, I received N35,000,000. I also received payment from
06:55Remita International in the sum of N40,000,000 on the 12th of December 2021, and there was an
07:02entry of N33,000,000 on the 17th of December 2021. On the 7th of February 2022, I confirmed
07:11the receipt of N90,000,000 from Kiles Nature, he said. Counsel to Ali Belu, First Defendant
07:20A.M. Aliu, who wished to cross-examine the witness, asked for adjournment to enable him
07:25study and have a full grasp of the massive facts and figures involved. Nuren Jimo, Counsel to the
07:32Second, Third and Fourth Defendants, agreed with him, while the Prosecution Council objected to
07:39the adjournment on the account that the witness has been in the dark since February 6, 2023.
07:46I believe the cross-examination of PW3 should begin. If there are other grounds, however,
07:53the application can be sustained. If not, I urge your Lordship to turn it down.
07:59Justice Egwato adjourned the matter till October 25, 2024 and November 5 and 6, 2024 for continuation
08:08of trial. It could be recalled that while testifying on Tuesday, September 24, 2024,
08:15the witness identified that page 9 of Exhibit D, also, contained $11,000 payment by Wells Oil and
08:24Gas to Ash, which was done based on Dawdu's directive being the one who gave him the
08:29account details into which he made the payment. He further explained on the same date that Exhibit 16,
08:3617, 18, 19, 20 and 21 were all payments to Ash. Exhibit 16, he said, captured payments of $7,653
08:50to Belo Nana Fatima. The sale, he said, applied to the payment of $19,296 on page 17 and $7,725
09:01on page 18, while pages 19, 20 and 21 captured payments of $6,611.29, $21,470 and $21,492
09:17respectively in favor of Zahra Belu. He also narrated on September 24, 2024 how cash notements
09:25running into millions of Naira were made into his E-Traders International Limited and Kung
09:30Foyakun Company's accounts as well as to his personal account by Dawdu. According to him,
09:36on July 27, 2021 he received 10 million Nairas and on August 19, 20, 21, there was a cash deposit
09:47of 100 million Nairas in 10 million Nairas tranches and 100 million Nairas deposit on
09:53August 25, 2021. On August 30, 2021, he disclosed that there was 63 million Nairas deposit and an
10:03additional 50 million Nairas a day later on August 31, 2021 into his account. He further
10:10disclosed that on September 2, 2021, there was a double 30 million Nairas lodgment totaling
10:1860 million Nairas. He stated that the inflows into his accounts continued on October 8, 2021,
10:26with a transfer of 60 million Nairas and a double inflow of 130 million Nairas and 139.5 million
10:34Nairas on November 4, 2021. On November 10, 2021, 25,134,000 Nairas flowed in, another 50 million
10:47Nairas, he said, flowed in on November 12, 2021 and 200 million Nairas on November 30, 2021.
10:57The inflows, he said, continued on December 1, 2021, with 220 million Nairas and
11:0616,008,000 Nairas on December 12, 2021. On December 22, 2012, he said 40 million Nairas
11:16flowed in from the same source. The witness in his September 24, 2024 testimony also admitted
11:23that Keller's Natural Limited made a deposit of 100 million Nairas to him on December 21, 2021
11:30with the authorization of the second defendant. On December 22, 2021, another 100 million Nairas,
11:39he said, flowed in from Keller's Natural Limited and another 60 million Nairas from the company
11:47on December 29, 2021. The financial traffic continued on the new year. According to him,
11:54on January 18, 2022, 40 million Nairas flowed in and continued thereafter. On the 19th of January,
12:042022, I received 50 million Nairas, while on the 24th, 2022, I received 30 million Nairas,
12:15and on the 28th of that same January, 2022, I received 40 million Nairas cash in four tranches
12:23and another 120 million Nairas. On January 31, 2022, I received an inflow of 160 million Nairas,
12:34while on February 1, 2022, I received 110 million Nairas, and 150 million Nairas on February 8,
12:442022, he said. He further disclosed that on March 2, 2022, a total of 84 million Nairas
12:53was deposited in his account with another lodgment of 122 Nairas, 980,000 on March 10,
13:012022, and 60 million Nairas on March 21, 2022. On April 5, 2022, he stated that 150 million
13:12Nairas flowed in and 140 million Nairas a day after on April 6, 2022.
13:19EFCC tackles Yahaya Belu's known appearance in court for arraignment.
13:25Need prosecution counsel in the trial of former governor of Kogi State Yahaya Adozai Belu,
13:31Kelipin Herusan, on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, told Justice Emeka Uwait of the Federal
13:38High Court sitting in Waitema, Abuja that the recent appearance of Belu at the parking lots
13:43of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was out of place as both the trial court
13:49and court of appeal clearly ordered him to present himself for arraignment in the 80.2
13:54billion Nairas money laundering charges preferred against him by the EFCC.
13:59There is nowhere My Lordship or the court of appeal ordered that Yahaya Belu present himself
14:04at the EFCC car park, but rather to appear before My Lordship for arraignment.
14:10What is even more worrisome and disconcerting is that the defendant went to the EFCC car park
14:16holding the hands of a person with immunity who came with all the full security of his office.
14:22The implication, My Lord, is if there was an attempt to get him from the person of immunity,
14:29there would be an invitation to anarchy. The invitation by the EFCC later in the
14:35day for Yahaya Belu to come alone, not with a person with immunity,
14:40security persons and other people was resisted again on their own admission, he said.
14:46Speaking further, Pinhera pointed out that, My Lord, we wrote a letter to the defendant's
14:52lawyers drawing our colleagues' attention that arraignment is not conducted in EFCC's car park,
14:58but the defendant should be in court today according to the judgment of the court of
15:03appeal and this honorable court's ruling. Pinhera also urged the judge to demonstrate
15:09his might and exercise his power to show Belu's counsel A.M. Abuhi that the court is not
15:14a vaudeville for entertainment but for serious business. This court is not a vaudeville,
15:20a vaudeville is a place of diverse entertainment. I want to borrow the words of justice Owaifu
15:27that no party should make a court a place of entertainment. The court must resist it.
15:33It is a place of serious and solemn business, he said. He specifically sought the order of
15:39the court for A.M. Abuhi to be sanctioned and referred to the Legal Practitioners' Disciplinary
15:44Committee, LPDC, for turning the court to a vaudeville. My Lord, it is against this backdrop
15:52that I will make this assertion that my learned friend wants to turn this place to an entertainment
15:57place or a casino. I want the court to use its power against him because his senior advocates
16:04have left and pushed him so that it will serve as a lesson to others, he said. He also sought
16:11leave of the court to proceed to the trial of Belu in absentia. Meanwhile, A.M. Abuhi,
16:18counsel to A.A. Abuhi, craved the indulgence of the court to exercise its discretion not
16:25to charge Abuhi for contempt. Our application is filed on the 18th of July 2024. It is supported
16:33by an 11-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the applicant, Mr. Adeola Adedepe. That affidavit
16:40has an exhibit marked A, and in compliance with my Lord is a written address. We are urging my
16:47Lord to exercise his discretion. We are on bended knees begging you to exercise your discretion and
16:54grant the prayers that are contained in the affidavit, he said. After listening to the counsels,
17:00Justice Iwite stressed that the matter is slated for arraignment and it seems it has gone back to
17:07square one. It's been over five months now and I don't know how the case is going. With the
17:14submission made by counsels this morning, it's quite unfortunate, but I have to reserve my
17:20comments. I have to reserve judgment on the submission of these counsels. He thereafter
17:26adjourned the matter till October 30th, 2024 for arraignment and ruling. The EFCC is prosecuting
17:33Bello on 18 count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of 80.2 billion liras.
17:40Yahaya Bello must have his day in court. It is public knowledge that a former governor of Kogi
17:46State, Mr. Yahaya Bello had made several unsuccessful attempts to throw spanners in
17:51his ongoing trial through some irresponsible and utterly rascally efforts. The appropriate
17:58place of surrender will be before Justice Emeka Iwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, before
18:04whom his legal team had undertaken to produce him to answer to the 18 count charges of money laundering
18:10preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Yahaya Bello should be
18:17more interested in clearing his name than playing the victim and crime persecution, where none
18:23exists. To even insinuate that he was the target of a phantom assassination attempt because the
18:29EFCC made efforts to effect his arrest at the Kogi State Governor's Lodge where he had been hiding
18:36is preposterous. It is the first time in the Commission's more than two decades' existence
18:42that such a jejun claim would be made. This is no more than scaremongering intended to scandalize
18:48the Commission. But EFCC is not deterred by this and other shenanigans by the ex-governor.
18:56The Commission remains committed to ensuring that the law takes its course in the money laundering
19:01charges already filed against Yahaya Bello in court. EFCC is eager to engage the former governor
19:09in the courtroom where the avalanche of evidence so pestily assembled can be presented an
19:14arguments marshal for justice to be served to all parties involved in this saga. The true test of
19:20Yahaya Bello's willingness to abide by the law in the criminal proceedings instituted against him
19:26at the Federal High Court Abuja by the EFCC is to present himself to the court in obedience to the
19:32order of Justice Mwaite. His presence in court is the only step that will convince Nigerians
19:38that his touted submission to the EFCC which was widely reported in the media on September 18th
19:45was not a stunt. Till date, Bello is yet to take his plea in the alleged 80.2 billion Naira's
19:52money laundering charges preferred against him before Justice Mwaite. His inversion of the
19:59corporate headquarters of the Commission with a retinue of security details, hand-to-hand cahoots
20:04and carriage with a sitting governor having immunity, unwarranted media blitz, scripted
20:10sleight of hands unknown to the public and other backend intelligence available to the Commission
20:15compelled a tactical rebuff of his touted surrender offer. The incident of Wednesday, September 18th
20:23regarding the orchestrated antics of the former governor to surrender himself to the EFCC,
20:29having denied being invited by the Commission and operating on the ground as a fugitive for
20:34several months, expectedly raised concerns and curiosity of many Nigerians who had been
20:39waiting frantically for his arrest and trial. As a responsible anti-graft agency, the EFCC is
20:46sensitive to public opinions, especially if they are in tandem with its operational codes
20:52and standard operating procedures. However, no hysteria, blackmail, sentiment or coordinated
21:00attacks in some section of the media would make the Commission compromise its integrity.
21:06Yahya Bello's matter cannot define the success or failure of the works of the EFCC,
21:11as the scorecard of the Commission is remarkable and undeniably impressive.
21:16The EFCC is not unaware of the fact that corruption fights back. Bello must have his
21:23day in court, no matter the recourse to blackmail, appeal to emotive public sympathy or acts of
21:29brigandage. Within the year, the Commission had arraigned three former ministers, two ex-governors,
21:37several top government officials, captains of industries, internet fraudsters and many more
21:43would be arraigned in due course. Every former governor, minister, head of ministries,
21:49departments and agencies, LD as being investigated by the Commission would soon be charged to court.
21:57The EFCC is not running a circus show. Corruption issues should not be turned into a theater of the
22:04absurd. Those who harbor a criminal suspect should know that the act is also a criminal offense which
22:10is also punishable in law. While the EFCC is assuring the public of its unfaltering focus
22:17and commitment to continue to tackle every issue of economic and financial ground without fear or
22:23favor, there is need to remind Nigerians that corruption does fight back and caution and
22:28restraint should always be exercised in responding to the operational mechanics and dynamics of the
22:33Commission. The EFCC will continue with its non-sacred cow policy no matter whose ox is God.