Former Governor Yahaya Bello is not hiding in our family house, Mohammed Abubakar Audu, the son of the former governor of state State, late Prince Abubakar Audu, has said.
The family said the clarification became necessary after suggestion that the immediate past governor of the state has ran to the family house for protection following his declaration as a fugitive by the federal government.
Bello has been in the wanted list of security agencies after his escape from his Abuja home last week after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, operative enveloped the building with intention to arrest him.
The magazine reports that his successor, Usman Ododo escaped with Bello in his official convoy to stop the anti-graft agency from arresting him.
Since he managed to escape arrest, there are suggestions that he’s been hiding somewhere in the state where he once served as the chief executive.
In a statement on Sunday by the Audu Family, they denied that Bello hiding in their family house in Ogbonocha, Ofu Local Government Area of the state, stressing that their home cannot be a “sanctuary” for the former governor.
The statement reads in part: “The attention of Prince Abubakar Audu’s family has been drawn to spurious and ridiculous rumors and publications circulating across various social media platforms, alleging that the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, is being harbored in our family house at Ogbonocha, Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State. We wish to inform the public that this claim is entirely false.
“We wish to emphasize that our family house at Ogbonocha serves solely as a private residence for members of the Audu family and is not a sanctuary for any political figure, past or present.
“As custodians of our family’s heritage, we uphold the principles of honesty and integrity that Prince Abubakar Audu embodied throughout his lifetime.
“We urge the public to exercise caution and discernment when encountering such sensationalist claims, recognizing them for what they are: baseless conjecture designed to sow confusion.”
The state government had earlier denied suggestions that the former governor, who is wanted by the EFCC to answer question over an alleged N80 billion corruption was taking refuge in the Government House, Lokoja.
