The Nigeria Police Force has detained a female police officer who served as the aide-de-camp for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello as well as other security details for aiding his escape from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja.
The ADC was arrested, along with other police officers assigned to 48-year-old Bello, and they are being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Their arrests and incarceration came after the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, issued an order on Thursday night requiring their immediate departure from the former governor.
Senior police sources, who spoke to PUNCH on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, said the officers were arrested on suspicion of assisting Bello’s escape from Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operatives who had gone to arrest him at his Abuja home on Wednesday.
The ADC and the other police details attached to Yahaya Bello have been arrested and detained.
“They were arrested on the order of the IG, on the suspicion that they aided and abetted the former governor’s escape from the EFCC on Wednesday,” one of the sources said.
Another source said, “Yahaya Bello’s female ADC and other police officers attached to him were brought to the command this morning, and they’ve been detained for aiding and abetting (the governor’s escape).”
SaharaReporters had reported on Thursday night that the police withdrew the security details attached to Yahaya Bello.
The order for the withdrawal was contained in a Police Wireless Message obtained by SaharaReporters.
It read, “CB:4001/DOPS/PMF/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.48/ 34 X ORDER AND DIRECTIVES X FOLLOWING MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM NIGPOLD OPS ABUJA X BEGINS X CB:4001/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.21/462 DTO:180955/04/2024 X ORDER AND DIRECTIVES X REF MYLET NO CB:3412/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.1/36 DATED 15/04/2024 X AND MY EARLIER LET NO CB:3412/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.1/30 DATED 24/01/2024 X INGENPOL HAS ORDERED THE WITHDRAWAL OF ALL MEN.
YOURS X ATTACHED TO HIS EXCELLENCY X ALHAJI YAHAYA BELLO X FORMER EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF KOGI STATE WIE X ALL TO
ACKNOWLEDGE COMPLIANCE X TREAT WITH UTMOST IMPORTANCE. PLEASE X ENDS X ABOVE FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND STRICT
COMPLIANCE PLEASE XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.”
On Wednesday, some Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives barricaded Bello’s Abuja residence.
However, the current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, intervened to prevent the arrest of the former governor of the state by the EFCC operatives.
Ododo’s team had escorted Bello out of the location in the governor’s vehicle.
Bello was also absent in court earlier on Thursday when the EFCC arraigned him.
His arraignment came after a warrant of arrest and enrolment order was granted to the EFCC by the court on Wednesday.
Subsequently, the agency declared Bello wanted for an alleged financial crime to the tune of N80.2 billion.
The commission said in a bulletin that “anybody with information as to his whereabout should report immediately to the Commission or the nearest police station.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported how EFCC asked all security agencies to place Bello on their watch list to prevent him from leaving the country “through any land, air or sea borders.”
Granting the request and circulating the EFCC directive, the Nigeria Immigration Service in an internal circular seen by SaharaReporters directed its area and zonal commands to arrest Bello if seen.
The circular stated that the former Kogi governor was under investigation and there was a suspicion that he might leave the country to evade investigations.