Crime
Bello goes into hiding to evade EFCC arrest – Sources
Highly placed indicated that the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello has gone into hiding to evade arrest by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
CAPITAL POST learnt that the anti-graft agency laid in wait to nab him from his Abuja residence, but later gathered that he has went to Okene after handing over to his successor, Ododo Ahmed Usman.
He was actually in Okene after the ceremony and was well received by mammoth crowd of supporters, and after that his whereabout remains a mystery as at Tuesday morning.
In a similar report, Saharareporters reported that Bello cancelled the Okene trip and went into hiding so as not to be arrested by operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The Online platform quoted a source, saying that Bello was still at the Government House, Lokoja, where he could enjoy the “protection” of his predecessor and godson, Usman Ododo, while other sources claimed his whereabouts are unknown.
The search for Bello was at the backdrop of his many fraud allegations while in office. CAPITAL POST gathered that the former governor has been investigated, but can’t be prosecuted due to immunity he enjoyed in office as governor of Kogi State.
However, sources gave a conflicting report about his whereabout, when another person said, he may have left the Government House.
“EFCC is currently after Bello. He was meant to go to Okene but when he heard of their presence, he cancelled it and is hiding in Government House, Lokoja currently.”
“He’s clearly attempting to evade arrest and he may have also left the Government House,” another source said.
It had been reported that Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos struck out the commission’s suit seeking the forfeiture of 14 properties belonging to Yahaya Bello as well as the sum of N400million linked to him, citing his immunity from prosecution under the 1999 constitution.
The Commission’s notice of appeal had stated that Justice Oweibo erred in law when he dismissed the suit because the Respondent’s immunity from civil or criminal proceedings during his tenure as governor of Kogi State does not extend to properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime traced to him.
It also stated that the court erred and caused a miscarriage of justice by refusing to bind itself to the Court of Appeal’s decision in EFCC V Fayose (2018) LPELR 44131 CA and the Supreme Court’s decision in Fawehinmi V IGP (2002)7 NWLR (PT767)606, on the proper interpretation of Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution.
The EFCC also claimed that the learned trial court erred in law when it overturned a preservation order for properties reasonably suspected to have been derived from the proceeds of illegal activities, despite its findings that the Respondent failed to demonstrate the genuine origin of funds used to acquire the properties under the preservation order.
On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, Justice Oweibo granted an interim forfeiture of the properties in Lagos, Abuja, and the United Arab Emirates, and also ordered the preservation of the sum of N400,000,000.00 (Four Hundred Million Naira) recovered from one Aminu Falala, which “is reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activity and intended to be used for the acquisition of Plot No. 1224 Bishop Oluwole Street, Victoria.”
Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, counsel to the EFCC, moved the application, stating that the properties, including “Hotel Apartment Community, Burj Khalifa lying, being and situate at, Plot 160 Municipality NO 345-7562, Sky View Building No 1, Property No 401, Floor 4, Dubai U.A.E.”, were reasonably suspected to have been derived from illegal activity.
Crime
Police investigations of alleged Russian KGB infiltration of NASS: Senator Natasha reportedly abandons petition
The alleged infiltration of the National Assembly by Russia’s KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti), the former Soviet security agency being investigated by the Nigeria Police seems to be a quandary.
This is because a source close to the Police headquarter said, Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi was invited for interrogation on the heels of petition before it by his colleague, Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
According to the petition dated March 5, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan who is currently on six months suspension from the Senate asked the police authority to investigate claim by her counterpart from Kogi west that KGB has infiltrated the National Assembly, posing a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic processes.
In her petition, she alleged that Senator Karimi shared a report titled “KGB Agent Group Warns Senate: A Call for Vigilance Amidst Threats to Democracy” on the official WhatsApp group of the 10th Senate on February 23, 2025.
In her petition, the embattled female Kogi lawmaker asked the Police not to treat the alarm raised by Senator Karimi with levity, declaring that, “No nation can afford to ignore the presence of such a group within its legislative body.”
It was further revealed that Senator Karimi appeared at Louis Edet, Police headquarter on Monday to state his own side in deference to Police invitation.
Sources at the Police headquarter which described the session with Karimi as “positive with useful disclosure”
as the lawmaker owned up to his post, however revealed that the Force authority were taken aback that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has since distance herself from her petition and subsequently, rebuffed request to appear before the Force headquarter.
“We reached her after the session with Senator Karimi. “We wanted to hear from her too but she has continued to ignore our invitation.
That is disturbing to us because we don’t expect her to suddenly dump a petition with such a sensitive allegation against her colleague and then elope.
“Her excuse was that she is outside the country. But a viral video of her visit to her constituency has since went viral.So, it is difficult to reconcile her claim of being outside the shore of the country with the information available to us.
“We don’t want to meddle in the ongoing intrigues in the Senate. But it will be scandalous for her to try to use the Police to join forces with her against his colleagues.”
Asked what is the possible next line of action, the source said his superior knows what to do with such a petition which he dismissed as frivolous.
Reacting to the Police claim, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan denied that she snubbed invitation to shed light on her petition, insisting that she was never invited of recent by the Police after Senator Karimi’s summon.
She said:”Apart from being invited to adopt my petition, I haven’t been invited.”
Groups operating under the aegis of the Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE) and Campaign for Democracy (CD) South East Zone have called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to release ritualists and native doctors in detention.
The groups said, the Qnambra Governor should use the three years anniversary of his office to release the ritualists who have been in detention in the government house.
The appeal was contained in a joint statement by the Executive Director of the Human Rights body, CD South East Zonal Chairman Dede Uzor A.Uzor, the groups said he should use their release as a gift to their families in this season and occasion of three years in office.
The group named the native doctors as: Akwa Okuko tiwara Aku in Oba, Eke Hit from Okija and Onyeze Jesus from Nkpor.
The trio were arrested in connection with “spurious and obnoxious social media instigation on our youths” which painted a very bad image for the society.
The group lamented that the native doctors encouraged ostentatious lifestyle and crime, making our youths to believe that hard work doesn’t pay unless you engaged in unwholesome criminal activities like ‘okeite’ or ‘Awale, yahoo plus’ among other false lifestyles.
It also said “their activities promoted serious insecurity and tension in the state with teeming young people turning to such criminal and outlandish lifestyles.
“But since their arrest, we believe they have learnt a big lesson”.
The group advised that Soludo should make them sign undertaking with the hope of discontinuing such crude, unethical and diabolical activities in line with the extant laws of the State,” they appealed to the Governor.
HURIDE said Governor Soludo should grant amnesty to them in the spirit of this successful celebration of three years in office, saying that he has done so much to improve the lives of citizens of the State.
CAPITAL POST recalled that the Soludo administration has been clamping on criminal elements amid high number of missing persons believed to be orchestrated by ritualists in the State.
Crime
Ghana’s anti-drug agency nabs Nigerian drug kingpin, Uchechukwu Chima, seizes $2.1m worth of cocaine, heroin
Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has arrested a drug kingpin of Nigerian origin from the South East , Uchechukwu Chima.
The commission operatives raided his hideout in Accra.
Chima, who is 56 years was arrested on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, following the discovery of 192kg of cocaine and 0.42kg of heroin, valued at $2.1 million on the streets.
The acting Director of of Public Affairs and International Relations at NACOC, Francis Amoah speaking on the matter in Accra, confirmed that the substances seized were indeed cocaine and heroin.
Authorities believe Chima has played a significant role in previous drug-related operations in the country.
He said the operation marks a critical success in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking in Ghana.
“NACOC remains committed to making the country a hostile environment for drug trade and ensuring the safety of both Ghanaians and the international community.”
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