The group in a statement issued by its convener, Omokehinde Agbedina, on Thursday said that Bello must know that no one is above the law, stressing that no matter how long he may remain in hiding, the long arm of the law will surely catch up with him.
A civil society group, the New Face of Nigeria, has asked the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello to submit himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for trial on all the corruption charges preferred against him.
The group in a statement issued by its convener, Omokehinde Agbedina, on Thursday said that Bello must know that no one is above the law, stressing that no matter how long he may remain in hiding, the long arm of the law will surely catch up with him.
Agbedina stated that “Whoever that must come with equity must come with clean hands. Avoiding EFCC is to suggest that Alhaji Yahaya Bello is truly corrupt and wonder how he must have ruled rather than govern Kogi State in the last 8 years.”
According to him, “Several ex-governors have been invited by the anti-graft Agency in the past and they have gladly honour the invitation of efcc.
“We wonder why Alhaji Yahaya Bello would allowed himself to be shielded from arrest by his successor, Alhaji Ododo Ahmed Usman as that singular act by Governor Ododo amounts to gross misconduct and violation of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which he swore to protect.
“We call on the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to follow the path of decency and submit himself for probe, as no court can stop the efcc from performing its statutory function.
“The EFCC has statutory powers to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigation into any matter regardless of status. The least that we can all do when invited, is not to put any obstruction in the way of EFCC but to honorably answer their invitation.”
He said that “A situation where public officials who are themselves subject of protection by law enforcement agents will set up an obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform its statutory duty is to say the least, is disquieting.
“We therefore encourage anyone who has been invited by the EFCC or any other agency to immediately toe the path of decency and civility by honoring such invitation instead of embarking on a temporizing self-help and escapism that can only put our country in bad light before the rest of the world.”
Agbedina noted that no court of law could prevent the EFCC from prosecuting Bello over the alleged N80billion laundered from the state treasury.