Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has pledged to quit if former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello is not prosecuted.
In a chat with editors at the EFCC Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, on Tuesday, the anti-graft agency chairman vowed to pursue Mr. Bello’s prosecution to its logical conclusion.
He also pledged that anyone who obstructed the former governor’s arrest would face justice.
The EFCC is attempting to arraign Bello on 19 counts of money laundering, breach of trust, and theft of funds totaling N80.2 billion.
The agency’s chief stated that no matter what anyone does or how many attacks the anti-graft agency receives, he and his men will continue to assist in sanitising the country.
Olukoyede stated that the EFCC needs Nigerians’ support to succeed, underscoring that if the agency fails, Nigeria fails. He noted that the current efforts have increased the value of the naira and the foreign market.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has delivered a copy of the charge sheet alleging N80 billion in fraud against the immediate past governor and his counsel, Abdulwahab Mohamed.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued the decision on Tuesday, following Bello’s absence from court.
He was not present for his arraignment on a 19-count charge of suspected money laundering totaling ₦80 billion.
The judge cited sections 384(4) and (5) of the Administrative and Criminal Justice Act 2015 while directing counsel to the immediate past governor to obtain a copy of the charge.
The court ruled that if physical delivery of a legal process to a defendant was no longer possible, it might be done through alternative means.
Justice Nwite further stated that it was apparent that the former governor failed to appear in court for his arraignment.
