The Yahaya Bello Media Office on Wednesday called on President Bola Tinubu to step into the faceoff between the immediate past Kogi State governor and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bello is wanted by the anti-graft agency over alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation to the tune of N80.2 billion.
While the EFCC asked Bello to obey the court order and appear before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, the former governor accused the agency of being desperate to humiliate him.
In a statement, the Director of the Yahaya Bello Media office, Ohiare Michael, claimed the anti-graft agency has ulterior motives in the fight against corruption.
READ ALSO: Yahaya Bello: No Blackmail Will Make Us Compromise Our Integrity – EFCC
He, therefore, wants President Tinubu to order an investigation over the faceoff to unravel the exact motives of the EFCC.
“We call on Mr. President to please order a thorough investigation into the EFCC-former Governor Yahaya Bello face-off, since inception, with a view to unravelling the real motives of the persecutors,” the statement read.
“We salute the Kogi State House of Assembly for speaking up and we thank all Nigerians who have come to realize that there is more to this desperation by the EFCC to humiliate former Governor Yahaya Bello than they are telling the world!”
Innocent
According to Michael, the former governor is innocent until proven guilty by the court.
He alleged without evidence that the charges preferred against him by the anti-graft agency were trumped up.
“But the EFCC must enlighten itself on the fact that Former Governor Yahaya Bello remains innocent of the trumped-up charges against him until proven guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction.
“As we write, many informed Nigerians, at home and abroad, cannot still understand why an anti-graft agency, which had declared the former governor wanted, would beg him to go after four hours, after voluntarily presenting himself at the EFCC office.
“The most disturbing aspect of the whole saga is that officials of the same EFCC said the former governor could not be interrogated or detained because he came with a sitting Governor, went to the official lodge of the same sitting governor, while he was there, shooting sporadically, to forcefully arrest a man that had previously been in their office for over four hours!” the statement added.
