Who Advises Yahaya Bello?

By Kehinde Osifisan

The above question arose out of one’s curiosity based on the way the detained former governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has conducted himself since his ordeal with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) came into the public knowledge around April this year.

In April this year, Yahaya Bello was said to have been invited by the EFCC to help its investigations into the multi-billion naira fraud that allegedly occurred during his eight year reign as governor of the “Confluence State.”

The former helmsman, whose nickname is “white lion”, ignored the invitation. The tall and lanky Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, bent backwards and out of his way, put a telephone call to Bello and persuaded him to honour the invitation of the anti-corruption agency. Still, Bello did not budge.

There is a saying in Yoruba language that: “You are told that you have a problem and you said you are going to the stream first, when you return from the stream, you will come back to meet the problem, even the problem would have increased”.

The “white lion” went on the stream of sponsored media applause, pliable civil society groups and buyable activists. Barrage of simulated attacks were unleashed on the EFCC and its chairman, Olukoyede. In fact, the Kogi House of Assembly, acting as accessory after the fact, passed a resolution that the EFCC Chairman should be sacked!

One had wondered whether Bello will be able to forever stay away from the EFCC; and if that was even possible. Bello’s cousin, successor and current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo effectively expanded his immunity to cover Bello as he severally shielded him away from being arrested by the EFCC.

The court had no choice but to declare Bello wanted when he won’t honour court summons for his arraignment. His orchestrated antics became so nauseating that one of his senior lawyers, Adeola Adedipe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in June, applied to withdraw his representation for Yahaya Bello. Adedipe noted that: “…given the direction the case had taken, he would like to withdraw his appearance for the defendant pursuant to Section 349(8) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.” The court even threatened to report his lawyers to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Council (LPDC) for their inability to produce Bello in court despite previous commitments and assurances to do so.

Yahaya’s forum-shopping, with Kogi State government as proxy, went as far as the Supreme Court until it turned out to be a wild goose chase. One of the courts from which Yahaya Bello had consistently absent himself from was ready to commence his trial in absentia at a date fixed for 27,November 2024.

The EFCC arrested Bello who frayed into its premises for the second time on 26,November 2024 and immediately took Bello into custody. His first struts at the EFCC’s car park was on 18,September 2024 during which he held hands with Governor Ododo, took some photo shots and disappeared under Ododo’s wings of immunity.
Last Tuesday, he was arrested by the EFCC after he reportedly turned himself in.
The next day, the EFCC railroaded Bello to the court.
That was where Bello made his biggest blunder so far. Instead of showing remorse and humility, like a thief caught in the act, before a judge whose summons he had shunned many times, the egoistic Bello rather chose to behave like an unfaithful married woman coming from the home of her lovers and wanting to enter her husband’s house with strong-face.

Overnight, supporters of the drama-king have been mobilized to the court. No body could advise Bello. He was unable to advise or comport himself. He sat grinning, shaking and pumping hands of friends and lawyers. His mobilised supporters already occupied the court room to its brim. Not only that, Bello could not advise or control his supporters as they became rowdy, unruly and noisy even while the judge sat! Until the judge stormed out of the court room in annoyance and vowed not to return until Bello’s supporters are comported!

The judge returned to listen to the parties, especially the application for bail presented by lawyers to Bello and his two co-accused. The presiding judge later adjourned the matter for two weeks during which Bello and the other two co-accused were to remain in EFCC’s custody.

Perhaps, if the judge has not been angered with the unruly supporters of Bello, who already disrespected the court severally, thereby adding salt to injury, perhaps the period of adjournment would not have been that long.

Perhaps, the two weeks Bello will spend in EFCC’s custody will make him to be sober and listen to people on expected conduct from him and his supporters. Perhaps humility will set in for Bello to avoid further humiliation. Just perhaps!

Kehinde Osifisan is the Programme Coordinator at Journalists Against Corruption (JAC).