Some indigenes of Kogi state on the platform of Kogi Conscience Liberation Movement (KCLM) have the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover every dime allegedly stolen by former Governor Yahaya Bello.

They made their demands known during a peaceful rally at the headquarters of the EFCC on Monday, April 29.

Led by Comrade Jacob Okpanachi, secretary of KCLM, and Desmond Obaro, the group bore placards with inscriptions such as ‘Kill Corruption before it kills Nigeria’, ‘Corruption is cancer to democracy’, among others.

Addressing the crowd, Okpanachi urged the EFCC to intensify its efforts in combating corruption, particularly in Kogi State, where they alleged that billions of naira had been embezzled by former government officials.

“We are here to clarify that the people of Kogi State are in full support of the EFCC’s commendable work. We urge them to continue their efforts to recover our stolen wealth and bring those responsible to justice,” Okpanachi said.

“N80 billion is not a trivial amount, and N800 million paid in advance to American International School Abuja for the children of an ex-Kogi governor could cover the school fees of five to six children or the WASSCE fees for 29,630 students in Kogi State.

“Our state struggles with counterpart funding for UBEC, and many children are out of school due to lack of funds. Education at the primary and secondary levels has become a burdensome affair,” he added.

Desmond Obaro also emphasized the need for the EFCC to persist in their efforts to recover every proceed of corruption from the last administration in Kogi State.

“Our presence here today signifies solidarity with the EFCC, as we urge them to recover our common wealth stolen by the former governor and his associates. Despite attempts to discredit the EFCC through sponsored detractors, we are here to bolster their resolve because the world is watching their rightful actions.”

The group also called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to take swift action against compromised judges who have been undermining the fight against corruption.

The EFCC officials received the group’s letter and promised to look into their demands

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed a fresh charge at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory against the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
EFCC in the charge accused Emefiele of approving the printing of N684,590,000 at the rate of N18.96 billion.
EFCC alleged that Emefiele broke the law with intent to harm the public during his implementation of the naira swap policy of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The anti-graft agency also accused Emefiele of unlawfully approving the withdrawal of N124.8 billion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.
The document dated April 2, 2024, and marked Suit No: CR/264/2024, was filed by EFCC’s top prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN revealed that Emefiele will be arraigned on a new four-count charge before Justice Hamza Muazu bordering on disobeying the law to punish Nigerians, iilegal printing of money, abuse of office, among others.
Counts one to four of the charge, read, “STATEMENT OF OFFENCE: Public Servant disobeying direction of law with intent to cause injury to the public contrary to and punishable under Section 123 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89 Laws of the Federation, 1990.
“PARTICULARS OF THE OFFENCE: That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of N375,520,000.00 pieces of colour swapped N1, 000, at the total cost of N11,052, 068,062 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”
COUNT 2: “That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, between the 19th of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 172,000,000 pieces of colour swapped N500 (Five Hundred Naira) Notes, at the total cost of N4, 471,066,040 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.
“COUNT 3: “That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 137,070,000 pieces of colour swapped N200 (Two Hundred Naira) Note, at the total cost of N3, 441, 005, 280 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”
“COUNT 4: “That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, on or about the 7th day of October 2020, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 80 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), by approving the withdrawal of the total sum of N124, 860, 227, 865.16 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation in a manner not prescribed by the National Assembly, which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”
Recall that Emefiele was on November 18, 2023, arraigned before the court on six counts of procurement fraud, in what is the most high-profile corruption case under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He was also accused of abusing his office by approving a contract for the acquisition of 43 vehicles totalling N1.2 billion from 2018 to 2020.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, the EFCC arraigned the former banker alongside one Henry Omoile before Justice R.A. Oshodi of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos for an alleged $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud.


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The media office of a former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has refuted the allegations that the former governor used the state funds to pay his children’s school fees.

The statement was in response to the press conference held on Tuesday by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede.

Olukoyede had alleged that Bello withdrew cash from the Kogi State Government Account, exchanged it through Bureau De Change operators, and used the funds to pay his children’s school fees in advance before leaving office.

However, in a statement made available to Ekwutosblog on Friday, Bello’s media office denied Olukoyede’s claims, stating, “His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello did not pay the sum of USD720,000 as alleged by the EFCC Chairman or USD840,000 as is being bandied about on the internet.”

It further clarified that the payment of fees commenced in 2021, well before Bello’s tenure ended.

The media office emphasised that Bello’s children attended the American International School in Abuja before he became governor, and he has consistently paid their fees without fail.

“Alhaji Yahaya Bello did not pay the fees of his children with monies from the coffers of the Kogi State Government,” the statement said.

Regarding EFCC’s involvement, the statement revealed that a family member challenged the EFCC’s attempt to recover the legitimately paid fees.

It said the FCT High Court ruled in favour of the family member, stating that the American International School could not unilaterally refund the fees to a third party, including the EFCC.

“From the foregoing, it is clear that no money belonging to Alhaji Yahaya Bello or his family members with regard to school fees has been recovered by the EFCC,” the statement affirmed.

The media office further accused the EFCC chairman of pursuing a personal vendetta against Bello, attempting to convict him in the court of public opinion rather than through due legal process.

“We implore others who might have been misled by their shenanigans not to be fooled by mischievous narratives but to follow the case through until justice is served,” the statement added..

Addressing Olukoyede’s conduct, the statement said that the legal principle of sub judice prohibits actions or statements that may prejudice a pending court case.

“Since the matter is sub judice, we say no more, we await the EFCC’s proof of the allegations in Court, which is the only venue where the proof of these allegations matters,” the statement added.

According to the statement, Bello will not be intimidated by blackmail and insists on following due process in line with the rule of law.

“Finally, our principal, Yahaya Bello, doesn’t visit law enforcement agencies ‘through the backdoor’. He has insisted on following due process in line with the rule of law. No amount of blackmail will intimidate him,” the statement concluded.