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Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has surrendered himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja.
Sources at the anti-corruption agency, reliably informed PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Bello arrived at the EFCC headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, with his private security details at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
“Yahaya Bello is at our Headquarters now, he came alongside his private security details,” a source said.
The sources, who spoke with our reporter on the condition of remaining anonymous to discuss the sensitive matter with the press, confirmed that Governor Usman Ododo did not accompany Mr Bello as he did earlier in September when Mr Bello made a controversial surrender to the commission in Abuja.
There are chances that Mr Bello, who has shunned a raft of court summons to face corruption charges, will be detained overnight as one of his trials is scheduled to come up before the FCT High Court on Wednesday.
On 18 September, Mr Bello, accompanied by his successor Governor Ododo, made a dramatic, controversial attempt to surrender himself at EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja.
The EFCC refused to arrest Mr Bello and instead attempted, on the same day, to apprehend him at the Kogi State Government Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, where he was being sheltered by Governor Ododo.
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The encounter resulted in hours-long shootout following a confrontation that reportedly ensued between EFCC operatives and the governor’s security details.
Mr Bello escaped from the scene in Mr Ododo’s convoy amid the chaos that erupted.
Mr Bello is facing money laundering charges involving N80 billion in Kogi State funds at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He has shunned a series of court summons to appear for arraignment since April.
In late September, the EFCC filed fresh corruption charges against Mr Bello at the FCT High Court.
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EFCC accuses Mr Bello in the latest case of dishonestly diverting more than N110 billion from the Kogi State Government’s treasury while he was governor for eight years.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale for comments were unsuccessful, as his two phone lines were switched off.
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