Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have stormed the Abuja home of a former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, located in Wuse Zone 4, Federal Capital Territory.

Photographs seen by our correspondent on Wednesday show some armed EFCC personnel laying siege to the ex-governor’s home on Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.

As of press time, our correspondent could not independently confirm the reason behind the siege on Bello’s home as the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, did not respond to inquiries concerning the development.

However, the EFCC had earlier dragged Yahaya Bello, his nephew Ali, one Dauda Sulaiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in an amended charge in March 2024 over an alleged N84bn money laundering.

Reacting to the development, the ex-governor’s media office, in a statement, condemned the operatives’ actions while urging President Bola Tinubu to caution the EFCC.

According to the statement, the presence of the operatives in Bello’s residence negated the order of injunction granted on February 9, 2024, by the High Court of Justice, Lokoja Division, in Suit No. HCL/68M/2024 between Yahaya Bello v. EFCC, restraining the commission either by itself or its agents from harassing, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting him, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive fundamental rights enforcement action.

The statement read, “The EFCC was duly served with that order on February 12, 2024, and on February 26, 2024, the EFCC filed an appeal (Appeal No.: CA/ABJ/CV/175/2024: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission v. Alhaji Yahaya Bello) against the said order to the Court of Appeal Abuja Division. The appeal was accompanied by a Motion for a Stay of Execution of the order of the High Court, which the Court of Appeal adjourned for hearing till April 22, 2024.

“Furthermore, judgment in the substantive case between Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the EFCC will be delivered at 12 noon today in Lokoja.

“Contrary to all of the above, the EFCC has now laid siege to the home of H.E Yahaya Bello, seeking to arrest him in contravention of the extant orders!

“It is a surprise that an agency led by a lawyer could flagrantly disobey a subsisting court order by taking actions contrary to the reliefs granted.

“We are aware of the total commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s current administration to the rule of law and can say categorically that the EFCC leadership might have offered the agency on a platter of gold to desperate politicians to convert it to their score-settling tool without minding the effect on its integrity and the image of Nigeria as regards the rule of law.”

The ex-governor’s media office further alleged that the anti-graft agency was plotting to embarrass and harass him through spurious allegations, especially the latest one dating back to September 2015, long before he assumed office.

The anti-graft agency, in the 17-count amended charge, accused Yahaya Bello of money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N84,062,406,089.88.

The EFCC had claimed in the amended charge that the former governor was at large.

Prior to the charge, the EFCC had arraigned Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello, before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for alleged money laundering involving N10bn belonging to the Kogi State Government.

However, the state government faulted the charge, describing it as “ridiculous” and “laughable,” adding that it was impossible, as the former governor was not yet able to access or misappropriate state funds at the said time.

The state government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, had on February 7, 2024, accused the EFCC of being “infested with persons whose intents disagree with the noble intention of ‘Mr. President’ to defeat corruption in Nigeria.”

Count one of the charges reads: “That you, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, Yahaya Adoza Bello (still at large) and Abdulsalam Hudu (still at large), sometime in September, 2015 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to convert the total sum of N80,246,470,089.88 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: criminal breach of trust and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(b) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended,” the EFCC said in a release sent to SaharaReporters.

“While ex-Governor Yahaya Bello and Hudu are still at large, Ali Bello and Suleiman, first and second defendants respectively, who were present in court “pleaded not guilty” to all the charges when they were read to them.

THE National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has deployed no fewer than 2,172 corps members to Bauchi State for the 2024 Batch ‘A’ stream ll orientation exercise.

The NYSC Coordinator in the state, Mrs Rifkatu Yakubu, said this in an interview with Theheute on Tuesday in Bauchi.

According to her, registration of prospective corps members will start on April 17 and end at midnight on April 21 at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Wailo, in Ganjuwa Local Government Area.

She explained that the swearing-in ceremony of the prospective corps members would be conducted on April 23, while the orientation exercise would end on May 7.

She also said each of the prospective corps members would be allowed into the camp only after they must have been adequately certified to be genuine graduates.

The coordinator said discreet screening of the corps members would be conducted as part of security measures to ensure that there was no intrusion or impersonation.

“Registration dates have been announced to the corps members, and they are advised to adhere strictly to all camp rules and regulations.

“Defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the scheme’s extant rules,” Yakubu said.

The state Coordinator also reiterated that the scheme frowned at late-night journeys and urged prospective corps members to avoid it for their own safety.

She tasked them to be punctual and diligent and comply with the camp’s acceptable dress codes, adding that flouting the directive would be sanctioned.

An unidentified man has been electrocuted while vandalising electricity transformer located along Airport road in Benin City, Edo state capital.

Theheute gathered that the deceased had succeeded in fragmenting some of the cables before his sudden electrocution.

The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours on Monday, but drew the attention of passers-by at dawn on Tuesday.

A house owner in the area, who identified himself simply as Mr. Emmanuel, blamed the action of the deceased on ‘get-rich-quick syndrome.’

Emmanuel cautioned the youths to shun the act of quick money and look for a genuine way of making money to avoid unwanted death.

Other residents took turns to rain curses on the decease because according to the act has thrown them into darkness

The Ag. Head, Corporate Communications of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Mrs Evelyn Gbiwen who visited the scene decried the incessant act of energy theft and vandalism of the company’s facilities within its franchise states of Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti.

Gbiwen expressed concern that the transformer vandalism has thrown the entire community into total darkness.

She cautioned that “people must learn to desist from it (vandalism) because the act is dangerous.

According to Gbiwen, “despite the company’s regular warning to the members of the public to desist from vandalism and energy theft, people still indulge themselves in it.”

She appealed to residents to be vigilant and help safeguard BEDC facilities from vandals to enable the company serve them better.