Yahaya Bello took $720k state money to pay child’s school fee in advance — EFCC chairman

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede has disclosed that former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, used $720,000 of Kogi State’s money to pay for his child’s school fees abroad in advance.

The chairman of the anti-graft agency announced this on Tuesday in Abuja at a news conference, while shedding light on the commission’s efforts to get the former governor to provide clarifications on the issues discovered in the accounts of the state under his tenure.

“A sitting governor (Bello) because he knows he is going, moved money directly from the government’s account to Bureau De Change to pay his child’s school fees in advance. $720,000 in advance, in anticipation that he is going to leave office in a poor state like Kogi and you want me to close my eyes to that? Under the guise that I am being used? Who is using who? At this my age? By who?

“I assume office here six months ago and I inherited the case file, I called for the case file, and I said there are issues here,” he said.

The EFCC chairman said he personally call Bello to accord him respect and invited him to come to the commission to clear some issues.

“Do you know, on my own, I put a call across to him, just to honour him as a former governor? There are issues, I have seen this case file, he (Bello) said, ‘aah! I thank you my brother, but I can’t come,’ he said one lady, he learnt has surrounded EFCC with hundred journalists to embarrass him.

“And I said okay if that is your fear, I am going to pass you through my door, my special door to come to my floor. ‘I said I will invite my investigators and they will come and interrogate you in my own office,’ what could be more honourable than this? In my own office. ‘He said thank you sir,’ you know what he said? ‘Can they come to my village?’ That is what he told me.”