EFCC operatives on Wednesday barricaded Bello’s house in Wuse, Abuja.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was able to track former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello to Abuja by outsmarting him, SaharaReporters has learnt.
It was learnt that Bello deliberately left his mobile phone at the Government House in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital to avoid being tracked to Abuja not knowing that EFCC operatives were already tracking the mobile phone of his aide he used.
Through his aide’s mobile phone, the former governor was tracked to where he was hiding in Abuja.
“Yahaya Bello left his phone at the Government House in Kogi to avoid being tracked to Abuja.
“But the mobile phone of his aide which he used was already being tracked to where he was trapped in Abuja,” a top security source told SaharaReporters.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that EFCC operatives on Wednesday barricaded Bello’s house in Wuse, Abuja.
The EFCC siege came days after the former governor met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that there was no movement in and around the house located at Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4 in the nation’s capital.
On Wednesday, a top source shared a photograph showing how EFCC operatives had barricaded the access road to Bello’s house.
The source said: “EFCC barricades Bello’s house in Abuja. No movement in the area as EFCC barricaded the house. They are yet to gain access.”
Although there was no immediate information available as to the reason why the anti-graft agency stormed the former governor’s residence, the anti-graft agency had filed fraud charges against him.
The EFCC had charged the former governor with financial fraud to the tune of N84 billion.
The EFCC in an amended charge accused Bello of diverting N80 billion of state funds in September 2015, four months before he assumed office.
Bello assumed office as governor in January 2016.
The EFCC had arraigned Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello, before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, for alleged money laundering to the tune of N10 billion belonging to the state government.
The state government faulted the charge describing it as “ridiculous” and “laughable”. It argued that it was impossible, as the former governor was not yet in a position to access or misappropriate state funds at the said time.
The state government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, on February 7, 2024, accused the EFCC of being “infested with persons whose intents disagree with the noble intention of ‘Mr. President’ to defeat corruption in Nigeria.”
The EFCC had sued Bello before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja for alleged N84 billion money laundering.
EFCC, which joined Bello’s nephew Ali Bello, Dauda Sulaiman and Abdulsalam Hudu as co-accused, said it was prosecuting them on an amended 17 counts of money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N84, 062,406,089.88.
The anti-graft agency claimed in the amended charge that former governor Bello was still at large.
