Presidency Says Yahaya Bello Enjoys Gov Ododo’s Immunity, Cannot Be Arrested

By Adesina Soyooye

The Presidency, on Sunday, October 27, gave a weird  reason why neither the Police nor Operatives of the Economic  Financial and Crimes Commission, EFCC can, for now, arrest the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

Bello is wanted by the EFCC  for alleged sundry issues bordering on corruption to the tune of over N80b. But it has been impossible to get the former Governor to answer to the charges because he has, since he left office, refused to go to the EFCC office or answer to Court summons.

Both the EFCC and the Court have summoned Bello a number of times. But for the number of times he was summoned, he refused to show up. All the assurances his legal team made to the effect that he would show up were in vain.

But a few weeks back, the unbelievable happened. Bello, after months of playing hide and seek with the EFCC showed up at the Commission’s Headquarters to answer to its invitation. But to everybody’s shock and confusion, the EFCC let Bello leave – neither arresting nor questioning him. Reason, according to them: Bello came in the company of Kogi State Governor, Usman Idodo, in a convoy of SUV’s.

While not a few Nigerians were still in shock, same evening of same day that the EFCC let Bello walk out of their premises free, Operatives of the Commission stormed the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge in pursuit of Bello. They were there to arrest him they said. A few gunshots were fired, but Bello was nowhere to be seen, and the Operatives, in any case, could not break into the Governor’s Lodge.

Before this incident, months ago, the EFCC had stormed Bello’s Abuja residence to arrest him. After a standoff that lasted hours, Governor Ododo drove in and spirited Bello away, leaving the Operatives to leak their wounds.

While Nigerians were wondering how come Bello became more powerful than the law, and all other of his colleagues who had answered to both EFCC and Court summons, the Presidency, on Sunday, told Nigerians why Bello cannot be apprehended by Security Operatives.

Bayo Onanuga, Presidential Adviser, Information and Strategy, speaking on Channels Television in an interview with Laolu Akande, described Bello’s case as “complicated”. He said that Bello is under the umbrella of Ododo, the Governor of Kogi State who enjoys immunity. Meaning that Ododo’s immunity is extended to Bello. Meaning that for as long as Bello attaches himself to Ododo, or takes up residence at Government House Lokoja, or any of Ododo’s Lodges or residences, he is as free as air.

Onanuga: “I think it’s a bit complicated. The EFCC is an agency of the Federal Government, and it wants to arrest Yahaya Bello. Yahaya Bello is hiding under the agbada (flowing robe) of the governor of Kogi State, his (Bello’s) successor, who happens to enjoy immunity.

“That’s the problem because if he (Bello) stays inside Governor Ododo’s house, the police cannot do anything because they will be violating that immunity that the man enjoys.

“It’s like a diplomat enjoying certain immunity, you cannot do anything about it. You remember in the UK when they were looking for the Wikileaks man and he went to hide in one embassy in Britain, there was nothing they (security agents) could do, they left him there. I think he later came out and they arrested him.

“It’s the same thing. Ododo enjoys immunity. Yahaya Bello is believed to be hiding there. They cannot storm the place and say they want to arrest him. That’s the problem of the EFCC, and the police cannot help the EFCC.”