Kogi gov, Ododo used immunity to protect Yahaya Bello from EFCC arrest – Oshiomhole

Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole has accused Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State of using his immunity to cover his predecessor, Yahaya Bello.

He said Ododo wrongly used his immunity by preventing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from arresting Bello.

EFCC had accused Bello of money laundering and corruption to the tune of N80.2 billion.

As part of its ongoing investigation, the anti-graft agency had stormed Bello’s residence in Abuja, in an attempt to arrest him.

But Ododo subsequently arrived at Bello’s residence and prevented the anti-graft agency from picking his former boss.

EFCC later declared Bello’s whereabouts unknown while placing him on a watchlist.

Amid the drama, the Kogi High Court ruled against the EFCC’s attempt to arrest Bello in a fundamental rights enforcement suit.

However, Oshiomhole said Ododo’s “rescue” of Bello and the former governor’s refusal to show up in court, constitutes a breach of the law.

Oshiomhole spoke at the ‘Revisiting the national question: Nigeria’s elusive search for national integration’ international conference organised by the Kukah Centre.

He said: “If you are afraid, given the fact that you are very vocal, you are independent, you cannot be dismissed, you cannot be promoted or demoted.

“If you are afraid to mention the name of a former governor who breached the law and a sitting governor who used his immunity to cover a governor that lost immunity, where will the courage come from?

“This sophistry of saying we can name the child of a poor man who steal(s) a goat but we are afraid to mention the name of a big man who breached the law, that for me is at the root of our problems.”