EFCC hands over Yahaya Bello to Kuje prison warders
In compliance with the Abuja Federal High Court orders, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over the Kogi State former governor, Yahaya Bello, to the Kuje prison warders, to continue to his detention pending bail request approval.
The former governor was handled over to the correctional facility officers after spending two weeks inside the anti-graft agency custody where he was quizzed on over N100 billion money laundering cases hanging on his administration’s in Kogi State.
As gathered, Bello handling over session to the correctional officers was unusual unlike other defendants when they were being moved from the EFCC custody to the prison.
While other previous defendants, who were ordered by the court, to be handed over to Kuje Prison warders, were done easily, the Bello handling over session was done at night considering the public interest attached to the former governor’s case before the court.
A source at the EFCC privy to the handling over session told The Guild on Wednesday that the anti-graft agency could not carry out the order during the day to avoid any issues, saying we had to handover the former governor yesterday evening.
He added that security officers were mobilized to ensure that the session goes on peacefully without any hitches.
The former governor was handed over to the prison warders after his bail application was denied by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over N110 billion money laundering.
After the denial, the court adjourned the case instituted by the EFCC to January 29, 2025, for continuation of the legal proceedings including the former governor’s bail application.
Following the court ruling, the former governor would be celebrating the 2024 Christmas celebration and 2025 new Year festival with inmates inside the correctional facility.
Bello was detained last month after many months of ignoring the anti-corruption agency’s invitation and courts summon obtained by EFCC over the former governor’s refusal to honour it’s invitation