Nigerian journalist and publisher, Dele Momodu, has said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) failed to do due diligence during their investigation against ex-Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Momodu also accused the EFCC of “misfiring” in the ongoing case against the former governor.
Speaking during an Instagram Live, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), chieftain faulted EFCC’s claims of Bello using government funds to pay his children’s school fees upfront before the expiration of his tenure.
He faulted EFCC’s conduct in its attempt to prosecute Bello, stressing that the commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, should have learnt from the cases of his predecessors, who he said were “booted out ignominiously”.
According to Momodu: “When they brought in the new chairman, I thought oh, you will have the benefit of learning from your predecessors.
“All of them were booted out ignominiously and if I were in the shoes of the current chairman, what I will simply do is make sure I do my job as meticulously, as professionally, as efficiently as possible. And, you will never go wrong if you obey the rule of law.
“I watched the EFCC chairman, I think either last week or the week before the last, I was almost crying because the way he went on and on..if I don’t do this… spitting fire and all.. you don’t have to do media trial.”
Asked if the EFCC was lying about Bello, Momodu said: “I have no idea, I don’t work for EFCC but from all the things that I have read, a lot of them, they misfired. That is the honest truth. They misfired. They didn’t do their due diligence.
“When you said a man took out money and paid for his children’s school fees, just as he was about to leave power, and you go and check the documents and you see that these things started happening from 2021, 2022 (laughs); I am not an illiterate.”
The EFCC had accused Bello and three others of alleged money laundering to the tune of N80.2 billion while he was governor.
Olukoyede also accused Bello of withdrawing $720,000 to pay for his children’s school fees before leaving office.
This, the former governor denied.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
