Bello’s N82 Billion loot: Why the witch-hunt?

By Hon. Fatima Oiza Mihammed

As a Kogite from the Central Senatorial District of Kogi State (The Same Senatorial district Yahaya Bello is from), I can’t sit and watch misinformation been spread everywhere as it relates to the current Faceoff between the EFCC and Yahaya Bello.

I have read lots of articles and watched many interviews where people were alleging that the EFCC is witch-hunting Yahaya Bello and that the EFCC chairman is been used by some persons in the presidency to fight Yahaya Bello..
As a kogite and a sister to Yahaya Bello who knows almost everything about this case, I have to let the world know the truth.

First of all, I would love to state that I love my brother Yahaya Bello.. I also love my people from the Central Senatorial district more than anyone else from any other senatorial district or state.. I am unapologetic about this.. However, no matter how much we love each other where I come from, there are certain acts that we all condemn and forbid.. A real Egbira Man or Woman cannot be a thief.. We detest stealing so much that even if the thief is my twin brother, I will not hesitate to call him out and report him to the society. We are courageous people. If an Egbira man or woman is falsely accused of stealing, they will courageously come out to clear their names because if they do not, the stealing tag will be attached to their loved ones and their generations yet unborn.

What Yahaya Adoza Bello is doing right now offends the core values of the true Egbira man.. Guilty or not, Yahaya Bello is expected to courageously answer the allegations against him.. No matter who wants to “persecute” him, as a former Governor and a member of the Ruling party, if he is innocent, he will walk free except of course he is not. Yahaya Bello has become a national issue; people all over the country are now Tagging we the Egbira’s as cowards who only know how to talk without actions.. I used to believe so much in the capacity of Yahaya Bello. I never knew that a time will come where Yahaya Bello will be afraid of Natasha Akpoti. I listened to the EFCC Chairman’s speech with so much tears in my eyes.. The EFCC Chairman went against the code by personally calling Yahaya Bello to offer him a safe cover to answer the allegations against him. This case began long before the EFCC Chairman came on board.. How will any reasonable person tag this a witch-hunt?

The EFCC Chairman’s video brought me to tears.. I want to at this point pray for the EFCC Chairman; for honoring us the Egbira’s and Kogites generally by offering Yahaya a safe cover to answer the allegations, You will live long.. Your enemies will never succeed… You will grow from strength to strength.. You are uplifted.. No harm will come near you or Your loved ones.. In addition to this, I also want to thank the EFCC chairman for exercising the greatest restraint at Yahaya’s house. Mr Chairman, your actions so far have shown that you are a well bred lawyer and a true man of God.. I saw the pain in your eyes when you were talking about the money stolen from a poor state like Kogi State.. You almost cried that day.

Trust me, the pain we feel as Egbiras is much more than what you feel Mr Chairman.. By running away, it means that Yahaya is guilty of all the charges against him and more.. I know what N80billion naira can do for kogi state at this point in time.. To think that just one person diverted this huge amount of money for his personal use is sickening. It pains me seeing my brothers and sisters going online to defend Yahaya Bello.. They are further confirming to the whole country that we the Egbiras are thieves and we celebrate the biggest thieves among us.

Those not from kogi who are taking money from Yahaya to defend this humongous theft, may God forgive you… I pray you all experience the same in your various states since you are fully in support. The money Yahaya Bello stole is not the money for just the Igalas. It is not money for just the Okuns. What he stole belongs to all Kogites..

The Egbiras inclusive. We are now celebrating someone stealing from us just because he is not coming to our various houses with guns and other dangerous weapons to forcefully take these monies from us.. Those who steal with guns and weapons will never be able to steal 80 billion naira in their lifetime.. Besides been and Egbira lady, another thing that triggered me into writing this post is when I had a discussion with one of my brothers from Egbira land who is a local government worker.. because of the percentage salaries currently being paid to Local government staff in Kogi State, he had to withdraw his children from school.. Today, his children are hawking all over Okene.

The little female ones are vulnerable to pedophiles roaming around.. Hearing this same man supporting Yahaya Bello just because he is Egbira totally broke me.. I had to tell him how Yahaya took out $700,000 + from the state and used it to pay the school fees of his children in advance until they graduate from the school. That school is one of the most expensive schools in Nigeria..

I told him how Yahaya even paid in advance for one of his children who is yet to start going to school.. I asked him the personal or collective benefit himself or his community have gotten from Yahaya Bello since he became governor, he was unable to mention anything. I asked if Yahaya increased his salary when he came in simply because he is an Egbira man. At this point, he was already in tears.. He wept uncontrollably.. Like I told you earlier, he was being paid percentage salary.. I asked him if in addition to all these things, He can in good conscience support a known thief who has stolen directly from him, he said no. As I was about asking more questions, he stopped me and started raining curses on Yahaya Bello.. Wow, how was it that he had to wait for me to remind him of his reality?? I asked what he wanted in life and for his kids.. He told me he just wanted to give them a good life and ensure that they are properly educated so that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers in the future.

I asked if he would be able to do that with the percentage salary he is currently receiving. At this point, he went mute.. I do not want this write up to become too long and boring but a honest Ebira man or woman knows exactly how painful this matter is to us.

On this note, I, on behalf of the majority of genuine Egbira’s and genuine Kogites pledge our unwavering and total support to the EFCC Chairman Barrister, Ola Olukayode and Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for their fight against corruption.

Some people are mentioning names of persons who should also be invited by the EFCC as the excuse for supporting Bello’s cowardice.. It’s such a pity.. Hardi Sirika was recently just arrested on an allegation of stealing 8 billion Naira.. He was arrested and he is now in the process of clearing himself. Nobody from his state organized any protest against the EFCC.

They didn’t start doing interviews claiming that Sirika is being Witch-hunted. The governor of his state did not come to disrupt his lawful arrest by the EFCC. Hadi Sirika is also a leader in the Ruling party; APC.

This is because his people will not be seen to celebrate thieves.. Yahaya on the other who stole a whooping 80 billion naira + is alleging witch-hunt; therefore, he will not surrender himself to be prosecuted as he is above the law.

My dearest EFCC Chairman, Kogites are solidly behind you!!!!! You will succeed.. You are uplifted.. Thank you for putting the good people of Kogi First.. We will not sit to applaud one man who has stolen a huge chunk of our commonwealth just because we speak the same tribe. All those stolen monies are for himself, his immediate family, and his presidential ambition come 2027.. Kogites are supposed to suffer while one man wastes our commonwealth on a fruitless endeavor? God forbid!

I am an example of what an Egbira lady should be. I am courageous, I fear no one as long as I am on the side of the truth.. No hired thug or assassin can threaten me for speaking out.

In conclusion, I will never stop reminding the EFCC Chairman that all Kogites are solidly behind him. We beg him to do all within his power and to also ask Mr President for the support of other relevant agencies so that Yahaya Adoza Bello can be brought to justice so that this current embarrassment hovering all over Egbira land can cleared off.

A statute of the EFCC chairman will be erected in Lokoja and we will never forget him if he helps us get justice and helps return the stolen funds to kogi state so that Kogites can benefit from their commonwealth instead of one man sitting on it.

At this point, I appeal to those alleging witch-hunt and and those taking money to speak in favor of Yahaya to desist from doing that.. If they don’t heed to this timely and humble appeal, my prayer for them is that their offsprings and loved ones will also suffer from theft whenever anything good comes to their way.. Their generations unborn will work with leaders like Bello and they will never live a happy life..

Stop witch-hunting the EFCC Chairman

Hon Fatima Oiza Muhammed
National Secretary,
Kogi Youth frontier for good governance