A Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has remanded Ali Bello, a nephew of Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and one Dauda Sulaiman in prison pending the fulfillment of their bail conditions.
They were arraigned before Justice James Kolawole Omotosho, alongside one Abdulsalami Hudu, Cashier of Kogi State House Administration (now at large) on a 10-count charge of misappropriation and money laundering.
This was disclosed in a statement signed Thursday by the spokesperson of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren.
Quest Times gathered that Bello and Sulaiman are accused of fraudulently withdrawing a sum of N10,270,556,800 from the Kogi State treasury, which they reportedly delivered to a Bureau de Change operator, Rabiu Tafada, in Abuja to keep or change to foreign currencies for personal gains.
“That you, ALI BELLO, DAUDA SULEIMAN, AND ABDULSALAMI HUDU (NOW AT LARGE) between January and December 2021, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court procured RABIU USMAN TAFADA to take possession of the total sum of N5,865,756,800, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful activity to wit: criminal misappropriation from the treasury of Kogi State and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (c), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.
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“That you, ALI BELLO, DAUDA SULEIMAN AND ABDULSALAMI HUDU (NOW AT LARGE) between January and December 2021, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court aided RABIU USMAN TAFADA to retain the total sum of N2,509,650,000.00, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity to wit: Criminal Misappropriation from the treasury of Kogi State Government and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (a) 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act,” the charges partly read.
The accused however pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against them by the EFCC.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), asked the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.
Kogi govt reacts
The Kogi State Government in a sharp reaction to a statement by the EFCC observed that the Commission, with its present allegations, had shown clearly that “it was desperately seeking to save its face after the Commission hit a roadblock in its N20billion media trial”.
The State Government, through its Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, however, noted that just as with the bank affair when the commission went to the media before proper investigation, the EFCC was again set to embarrass itself and its legacy by again jumping to the media to continue its persecution of the Kogi government.