When former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello visited the anti-graft commission’s offices two days ago, the EFCC gave in to pressure and was unable to hold him.

The Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, is alleged by a source within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to have utilised his constitutional immunity to stop their agents from apprehending his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, on Wednesday.

When former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello visited the anti-graft commission’s offices two days ago, the EFCC gave in to pressure and was unable to hold him.

Bello was previously listed as wanted due to claims of N80.2 billion in corruption and money laundering. In the end, though, he accepted the EFCC’s summons along with Kogi Governor Usman Ododo and other others.

Meanwhile, controversy has dogged his visit to the EFCC. The anti-graft agency’s spokesperson refuted rumours that they were holding the former governor.

Bello “remains wanted with a subsisting warrant for his arrest,” he stated, adding, “The Commission wishes to state that Bello is not in its custody.”

Later that evening, in an effort to capture Bello, the EFCC besieged the Kogi State Government Lodge in Abuja. But Ododo was charged with abusing his immunity to keep Bello from being taken into custody.

This was comparable to an incident that occurred in April during which it was believed that Ododo helped Bello flee from EFCC agents during an additional operation in Abuja.

Bello’s PR team claimed that he had visited the EFCC, however spokesman Dele Oyewale of the agency said that Bello was not held.

The EFCC stated that Ododo’s governorship immunity precluded the operatives from taking further action, which is why they were unable to arrest Bello.

PUNCH Newspaper cited one of the officers as saying, “Yahaya Bello has not been arrested.” Like the previous time, the governor of Kogi State stopped workers from doing their jobs yesterday. He carried him away, and because Ododo is enjoying immunity, our men were unable to intervene.