Claims that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disobeyed a court order concerning Yahaya Bello, a former Governor of Kogi State are false, according to the anti-graft agency.
The agency has cleared the air in relation to Bello’s case where people have been arguing if EFCC did not contravene any decision by the law on his arrest.
In an official communiqué by Wilson Uwujaren, acting Director of Public Affairs for the EFCC, it was stated that although Bello sought legal protection through a fundamental rights enforcement measure from Justice Isa Abdulallahi of Kogi State High Court, this could not supersede a directive from Federal High Court to detain him in readiness for his appearance before it.
Uwujaren put it clearly when he said, “The certified order from Kogi state high court was merely to guarantee personal freedom and mobility of Bello and not anything which ‘will impede the Federal High Court from “making any Order it deems fit in determining the rights of the Applicant and Respondent as canvassed before it in its review and resolution.”
Additionally, the Federal High Court’s arrest warrant against Mr. Yahaya Bello, and his being ordered to appear in court, is not incompatible with that from the Kogi State High Court. The Federal High Court matter borders on criminal allegations as opposed to the fundamental rights enforcement case which is presently on appeal.”
Accordingly, Uwujaren argued about EFCC’s record on prosecuting influential politicians and its commitment to national interest.
He called upon Bello to voluntarily surrender and respond to these allegations leveled against him by the agency.
Furthermore, he requested all ‘reasonable’ Nigerians to back up the Commission saying that, “the crusade of EFCC against corruption will continue unabated.”