Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, over allegations of money laundering, breach of trust, and the misappropriation of N80.2 billion.
The arrest, confirmed by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, took place on Monday after Bello was reportedly brought to Abuja by Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State, who then invited the EFCC to detain him.
“We have arrested him. Our chief security officer arrested him, and he was brought in at 12:54 p.m. He is currently having a session with our investigators. We are holding him in our custody,” Oyewale told Okay.ng.
This development follows months of efforts by the anti-graft agency to detain the former governor.
In April, the EFCC declared Bello wanted after repeated attempts to arrest him, but this was proved unsuccessful.
In August, the Court of Appeal in Abuja ordered Bello to surrender himself for arraignment.
Earlier, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede accused Bello of withdrawing $720,000 from Kogi State’s coffers to prepay his child’s school fees abroad.
The commission subsequently filed a 19-count charge against Bello, but the arraignment had been stalled due to his absence.
In September, Bello had honored an EFCC invitation alongside Governor Ododo. While both men were spotted at the car park of the EFCC’s Abuja office, the anti-graft agency refrained from detaining the former governor at the time.
