Yahaya Bello not subjected to media trial – EFCC

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has dismissed claims that its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede subjected the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello to a media trial.

Olukoyede had organized a press conference where he disclosed that Bello withdrew $720,000 from a government account to pay his child’s school fees.

He also claimed that the former governor told the EFCC to come over to his village and interrogate him.

The EFCC Chairman further vowed to resign if he fails to arrest Bello and follow through the investigation.

But a former Vice President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Prof. Nwoke Chijioke, disagreed with Olukoyede.

Chijioke said the press conference was a wrong approach and an unfair trial.

Chijioke said, ‘’The EFCC chairman’s press conference of yesterday was really uncalled for. That is an unfair trial. All these challenges are because of what I would call a media trial.”

However, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said Olukoyede’s revelations did not violate any rule.

A statement by Oyewale said, “There is nothing the chairman said on Tuesday that was not already in the public domain.

“Also, we have filed our processes, and everything is before the court, so the chairman did not say anything that is not already in public domain.

“The chairman himself is a lawyer, and he knows his onions. Everything he said was within his rights as the Chief Executive Officer of the EFCC.”