Yahaya Bello withdrew $720,000 for child’s school fees – EFCC Chairman

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, recently disclosed that Yahaya Bello, a former governor of Kogi State, withdrew $720,000 from the state’s treasury and channeled it through a bureau de change to pay his child’s school fees in advance before leaving office.

During an interview with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Olukoyede made this revelation, expressing concerns about such actions by a sitting governor. He highlighted the improvidence of transferring such a substantial amount of money directly from government funds to a bureau de change for personal use, particularly in a financially challenged state like Kogi.

Olukoyede recounted his attempt to engage Bello in a dialogue to clarify the situation within the EFCC’s premises. However, the former governor declined the invitation, citing apprehensions about potential harassment from an unidentified woman.

The EFCC chairman emphasized that he inherited the case file and took the initiative to personally reach out to Bello, out of respect for his former position. He extended an invitation for Bello to address the issues raised in the case file, but the ex-governor declined, expressing concerns about purported harassment.

Bello suggested conducting the investigation in his village rather than at the EFCC’s headquarters, indicating a reluctance to cooperate fully with the commission’s inquiry.