The Kogi State Government maintains that there is no missing money from the state’s treasury, emphasizing that funds were utilized for developmental purposes during the tenure of the immediate past governor, Yahaya Bello.
Kingsley Fanwo, the state’s Commissioner of Information and Communication, asserted that certain individuals with selfish motives and political agendas are aiming to tarnish Bello’s reputation by collaborating with elements within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to achieve their goals.
Fanwo criticized the attempt to implicate the former governor in an ongoing lawsuit, describing it as flawed, mischievous, and lacking in substance.
In a statement he issued, Fanwo stated: “The EFCC’s decision to include Yahaya Bello’s name in the amended charge, describing him as ‘at large’, is absurd, ridiculous, and undermines the agency’s credibility. Being ‘at large’ implies that a person is evading arrest or cannot be located after an attempted arrest.”
“For clarity, the original charge concerns Ali Bello and his associate, Dauda Suleiman. Yahaya Bello is alleged to have conspired to convert N80,246,470,089.88, an offense purportedly committed around September 2015 in Abuja. The co-conspirators mentioned in the charge include Abdulsalami Hudu (Kogi State Government House Cashier), also described as ‘at large’, along with Ali Bello and Dauda Suleiman.”
“In their zeal to implicate Yahaya Bello, the EFCC has overlooked critical details. The timing of the alleged offense is particularly laughable since Yahaya Bello was elected as Governor of Kogi in November 2015. Prior to his assumption of office, Captain Idris Wada of the PDP was the incumbent governor until he handed over to Bello on January 27, 2016.”
