The Kogi State House of Assembly has called for the removal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, accusing him of mismanaging the investigation into former Governor Yahaya Bello.
Lawmakers have condemned what they described as an “unprovoked attack” on the Kogi State Government Lodge in Abuja, calling it an assault on the state governor and his people, according to a post on the Kogi State Government website on Monday.
During its plenary session on Monday, the Assembly said the EFCC’s actions on April 17 and September 18 amounted to “an assassination attempt” on both Bello and his successor, Governor Ahmed Ododo.
“The actions of the EFCC reveal a worrying disregard for the rule of law and a worrying willingness to carry out politically motivated attacks,” said House of Representatives Speaker Aliyu Yusuf.
In a resolution, the House of Assembly urged President Bola Tinubu to remove Olukayode from office, saying his leadership was “unprofessional and politically motivated.”
During the House session, a member representing Ankpa 1 state constituency, Akus Lawal, moved a motion of urgent public importance. Mr Lawal accused the EFCC of attempting to not only humiliate but also potentially harm both Governor Ododo and his predecessor, Yahaya Bello.
Other lawmakers echoed Lawal's sentiments, including Jacob Olawunmi from Ijumu State Constituency, who supported the motion, and Abu Jibril from Ajaokuta Constituency, who went a step further by calling for Olukayode's prosecution.
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Mr. Jibril claimed that the EFCC chairman had ordered officers to fire live ammunition at the Kogi State government lodge where the former governor had sought refuge.
“The president has demonstrated an incompetence that justifies his dismissal,” he said.
The lawmakers accused the EFCC of political bias, suggesting that the agency's actions were part of a broader agenda to tarnish the reputation of Kogi leaders.
Also, a member representing Ogori/Magongo State Constituency, Bode Ogunmola, said: “If I am in London and there is a crisis, if I come to the Nigerian House of Representatives, I will feel safe. If I am in Abuja and there is a crisis, I believe if I come to Kogi Lodge, I will be safe. If the EFCC chairman orders fire to be opened on the official lodge of the governor, he should be sacked and prosecuted. They should tell us why he wants to kill our governor.”
Assembly Majority Leader Suleiman AbdulRazak claimed that EFCC officials had begged Bello to allow them to stage his arrest for a public spectacle, describing the incident as “a shameful farce.”
He argued that the EFCC's tactics were a shameful act, which showed that the anti-graft agency was acting according to a script written by some political enemies of the former governor.
EFCC vs. Bello
PREMIUM TIMES reported how a late night shootout occurred between EFCC operatives and the security details of Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo and Mr Bello last Wednesday at the Kogi State Government Lodge in Asokoro Abuja.
Earlier in the day, Mr Bello, accompanied by Mr Ododo, visited the EFCC headquarters in Abuja to surrender after months of evading trial on N80.2 billion money laundering charges pending against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, is said to have sent a message to the two men to leave the commission’s premises and that he would invite them back when necessary. However, operatives of the anti-graft agency stormed the Kogi State government residence in the evening in a bid to arrest the former governor. When the situation became tense, Bello escaped from the scene with Usman in the governor’s convoy.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede
The EFCC has provided little information on developments, leaving the public confused about what it is doing.
The commission has yet to explain why it failed to arrest the suspect, previously declared wanted, when he turned himself in at its facilities, only to resort to a violent strategy to detain him elsewhere.
His only statement on the matter so far was limited to denying that he had Mr Bello in custody and insisting that he remained a wanted person.
The EFCC declared Bello wanted in April, a day after Ododo helped prevent the agency's agents from arresting Bello at the former governor's residence in Abuja.
The EFCC charged Mr Bello, who completed his term as governor of Kogi State in January, with money laundering charges involving N80 billion allegedly diverted from the state treasury.
READ ALSO: Yahaya Bello: Who is interested in this EFCC drama?, by Olabisi Deji-Folutile
But Mr. Bello has evaded trial six times since April.
The drama last Wednesday occurred exactly one week before the next court session scheduled for September 25 (Wednesday).