26/12/2022
EFCC DISCOVERS 147 HOUSES LINKED TO KOGI STATE GOVERNOR'S RELATIONS AS Yahaya Bello LOBBIES PRESIDENCY.
Nigeria's anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has been able to trace no fewer than 147 houses to Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello’s nephews, SaharaReporters has learnt.
Yahaya Bello, some officials of his government and his relations have been on the prying eyes of the anti-graft agency recently.
SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that one Aliyu Bello and Dauda Suleiman – two nephews of Governor Bello, were used to siphon N10.2billion from the state government accounts and are currently in prison custody after failing to meet their bail conditions.
Initial reports only identified Aliyu Bello as the governor’s nephew but sources told SaharaReporters on penultimate Friday that both Aliyu and Dauda, who were remanded in prison on penultimate Thursday, are Governor Bello’s nephews.
Aliyu and Dauda, alongside one Abdulsalami Hudu, Cashier of Kogi State House Administration (now at large) were arrested and arraigned before Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday on 10 counts bordering on misappropriation and money laundering to the tune of N10.2 billion.
Aliyu Bello and Dauda Suleiman are accused of fraudulently withdrawing a sum of N10,270,556,800 (Ten Billion, Two Hundred and Seventy Million, Five Hundred and Fifty-six Thousand Eight Hundred Naira), from the Kogi State treasury, which they delivered to a Bureau de Change operator, Rabiu Tafada in Abuja to keep or change to foreign currencies for personal gains.
However, sources told SaharaReporters on Saturday that the 147 houses linked to Yahaya Bello’s nephews were discovered in Abuja alone.
According to the sources, "These houses are to be tendered as evidence against them in the court. Yahaya Bello is still trying to influence the presidency to drop