Yahaya Bello controversy may damage your image, group warns EFCC

The Northern Group, under the auspices of the Arewa Young Lawyers Forum (AYLF), has warned that the controversy that followed the corruption allegation against the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, may dent the image of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

AYLF said the avoidable drama is nothing but a deliberate and calculated attempt by the Commission to create an unnecessary scenario in which the Commission will further be thrown into yet another controversy capable of ruining the remaining authoritative image of the Commission.

AYLF, through its president, Abubakar Kurawa, in a statement on Friday, said, “By law, the EFCC is established to investigate cases of financial crimes in the country, with a view to submitting the outcome of such investigations to the Courts of Law for adjudication, pointing out that “in no way did the EFCC Establishment statute contemplate a situation whereby the EFCC will become a law onto itself by way of convicting or passing judgement on a particular suspect.”

The group stated that “in the eyes of the commission, the case of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, is different,” adding that “the commission has constituted a court onto itself, trying and convicting Yahaya Bello, in its own public court.”

“It’s clearly obvious, that the commission, does not desire to conduct any meaningful investigation on the allegation levelled against His Excellency Yahaya Bello. Rather, they are concerned about creating media uproar thereby poisoning the minds of the gullible,” it added

According to the group, “the same commission that claimed to be looking for His Excellency Yahaya Bello for questioning over his stewardship as the Governor of Kogi State, failed to have any questions for him when he made himself available at the commission headquarters for questioning on Wednesday, 19th September.”

AYLF stated; “His Excellency, voluntarily, without any form of forceful coercion, submit himself to EFCC for questioning. This is a fact known to most Nigerians. He was there and went only because the Commission said they had some questions for him to answer. But, when he made himself available, they said oh sorry sir we have nothing to ask you.”

“To create their usual drama, later in the evening on the same day, operatives of EFCC, where seen at the Kogi State Governor’s, in full war gear shooting sporadically, claiming that they came to arrest His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Bello.”

“The same Yahaya Bello, who was earlier in the day within the four walls of their offices and they turned him down, that no questions for you, sir.”

It added, “It must be categorically stated here that EFCC as an anti-corruption investigative agency must remain within the purview of the law and operate with utmost regard to the rules of law and the tenets of Fundamental Rights. It’s trite, that the presumption of innocence is a vital ingredient of fundamental rights as enshrined in our Constitution. Hence, subjecting any individual to a media trial and premature conviction is an aberration of that very important principle.”

According to the group, every citizen has a right to a fair hearing and his innocence must be presumed until proven otherwise by a competent court of law.

The Forum observed that “the matter of Yahaya Bello v EFCC is pending before the court and the court must be allowed to give its judgement,” stressing that “all the charades of trying to make headlines wrongly by the commission must be stopped.”

“We are running a constitutional Democracy in this country not a form of dictatorship. To protect and preserve our democracy all hands must be on deck including that of EFCC”