The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has made public the manner in which Yahaya Adoza Bello, the governor of Kogi State who was most recently in office, is accused of using public funds to purchase opulent properties in Abuja, Nigeria, and Dubai.
Yahaya Bello was accused of using more than five million Dirhams to purchase a property in Khalifa, Municipality, Dubai, in a new 16-count charge brought against him.
In count two, Bello, Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu were alleged to have sometime in 2023, in Abuja, whilst having dominion over the state’s treasury, dishonestly used the total sum of N950,000,000.00 (Nine Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) for the acquisition of a property known as No: 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja.
Along with two other defendants, the EFCC filed a new 16-count indictment against the former governor of Kogi state before the Federal Capital Territory’s High Court in Abuja.
Bello, Umar Shuaibu Oricha, and Abdulsalami Hudu are charged in case CR/7781/2024 with embezzling more than N110 billion in public monies to buy multiple homes in Abuja and Dubai.
The anti-graft agency’s attorney, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, submitted a complaint on September 25 that was dated September 24 but contained allegations of criminal breach of trust against Bello and the other defendants. This offense is punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.
The first count of the charge states: “That at some point in 2016 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, you, Yahaya Adoza Bello, Umar Shuaibu Oricha, and Abdulsalami Hudu agreed among yourselves to cause to be done an illegal act, to wit: criminal breach of trust in respect of the total sum of N110, 446, 470, 089.00 (One Hundred and Ten Billion, Four Hundred and Forty six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Eighty Nine Naira) entrusted to you.
In count two, they were accused of having dishonestly utilized the entire amount of N950,000,000.00 (nine hundred and fifty million naira) for the purchase of a property identified as No. 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja, sometime in 2023 while in control of the state treasury in Abuja.
According to count 11, the defendants purchased a property in Khalifa, Municipality, Dubai, with more than five million dirhams.
Count 14 reads: “That you Yahaya Adoza Bello, Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu sometime in 2021, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, whilst having dominion over the state’s treasury, dishonestly sent the total sum of $570,330.00 (Five Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty United State Dollars) to account No. 4266644272 Domiciled with TD Bank, United State of America.”
Count 15 stated that the defendants dishonestly transferred $556,265.00 (Five Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty Five United State Dollars) to account No. 4266644272, which is domiciled with TD Bank, United States of America, sometime in 2021 in Abuja, while they were in control of the state’s treasury.
In the meantime, it was claimed that the former governor in count 16 had control over N677, 848,000 (six hundred and seventy seven million, eight hundred and forty eight thousand Naira) that had been illegally taken from Bespoque Business Solution Limited at some point between 2017 and 2018 in Abuja.
The former governor’s arraignment on the new accusations, however, has not yet been scheduled.
Recall that the Federal High Court in Abuja had repeatedly refused to allow Bello to appear before it, thus the EFCC had tried four times in the previous five months to get him before the court to answer for the N80.2 billion in alleged fraud allegations against him. Nevertheless, the attempts were unsuccessful.
