ALLEGED N80BN FRAUD: Ex-Gov Bello absent in court, as EFCC mull using military to smoke him out

A former governor of Kogi State, Yahaha Bello failed to show up in court on Thursday to defend himself against charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The anti-graft agency had filed charges against Bello for alleged money laundering and fraud to the tune of about N80 billion.

The commission however said it would explore the option of using the military to fish out Bello who had resisted being arrested by operatives of the agency earlier on Wednesday.

The anti-graft agency’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) issued the threat of using the military before a Federal High Court in Abuja, while accusing Bello’s successor, Usman Ododo of frustrating his client’s effort to execute a court order to arrest Bello on Wednesday.

Pinheiro said: “What happened yesterday was that a person with immunity (Ododo) came to whisk him (Bello) away to abort his arrest.

“We know that he is being kept in his successor’s house. Immunity is not attached to a home but to a person.

“We can invite the military to invade the building where he is being kept to execute the order of this court. What is edifying for him is to come to court and not to continue to play games.

“We want to come next week so that we can produce him. We know what to do. He cannot stand in the way of the Constitution.

“A former president of the United States was indicted, he is attending court. He did not play pranks by filing frivolous cases.

“If he believes he is innocent, he should come before the court and defend it here.”

Recall that yesterday the EFCC stormed the Abuja residence of Bello located in the Wuse Zone 4 in a move to effect his arrest.

Ododo, however, foiled the arrest as he came and whisked the former governor away in his official car.