By J.S. Okutepa, SAN
Yesterday, I read with amusement and total disappointment a statement issued by one Kingsley Fawon, who is said to be the Commissioner of Information of Kogi State that EFCC should leave Yahaya Bello, immediate past Governor of Kogi state alone.
According to this Kogi State Commissioner of Information, no money belonging to the Kogi state government was not missing, and no money was stolen during the reign of the most despotic regime and government of Yahaya Bello between 2015 to 2024.
This Kingsley Fawon, who said to be the commissioner of information of Kogi State, does not seem to know that the duty of his office does not extend to use his office in defence of private persons who have a date with penal laws of the land. He also seems not to know that he does not have immunity from criminal arrest and prosecution. Therefore, his careless and reckless statement constitutes unlawful interference with statutory duties and responsibilities of EFCC to investigate and prosecute economic crimes and sundry money laundry offences alleged against Yahaya Bello.
Furthermore, Yahaya Bello is no longer the governor of Kogi State. Therefore, the resources of Kogi State must not and should not be deployed by Kingsley Fawon to launder the bettered image of Yahaya Bello by press states attributable to the Government of Kogi State.
It is therefore abuse of office contrary to the 5th schedule to the 1999 constitution for Kingsley Fawon to use his office in defence and protection of Yahaya Bello who is not the governor of Kogi State and who is not in employment of Kogi State as at today.
It is be noted also that Kingsley Fawon and his government must be told in clear term that they cannot stop EFCC from performing their statutory duties, and the government of Kogi State does not need to report the crimes against Yahaya Bello and which crimes were alleged to have been committed by Yahaya Bello before EFCC can investigate and prosecute Yahaya Bello for those crimes. Yahaya Bello is alleged to have committed crimes against the people of Kogi State.
The dead and the living know the alleged crimes of Yahaya Bello. No crony and accessories before and after the facts of those crimes should use the resources of the people of Kogi State to engage in endless propaganda to shield Yahaya Bello.
Yahaya Bello is known and addressed as the White Lion. Lions are known to be bold and courageous. The symbol of EFCC is just an ordinary Eagle. Why should the White Lion run away or be afraid of invitations from Eagle. The invitation is for explanations. It puzzles me that Kingsley Fawon is deploying the resources of the people to argue that the then Lion sh9uld be left alone by EFCC. Are you not puzzled, too?
The monies Yahaya Bello was alleged to have laundered and stolen while terorrising the good people of Kogi State in the name of government and governance belonged to the people of Kogi State and not the government of Kogi State .Therefore, Kogi people are demanding that Yahaya Bello be arrested immediately, let him state his side of the story, give account of his stewardship from 2015 to 2024 and if his explanations defliled logic he should and must be prosecuted in accordance with penal laws of the land.
Yahaya Bello has no immunity again. His immunity while serving as government does not cover the crimes and atrocities he is alleged to have committed while serving as governor. The resources of the people of Kogi State he is alleged to have laudered and stolen in aid of private ventures are clear cases of breaches of public trust and money laundering, which constitute grave criminal offences against the penal laws of Nigeria. Yahaya Bello is not the first governor to be arrested after their tenures in office. Ayo Fayose walked straight to EFCC after his tenure. That is a man. He did not go into hiding.
Furthermore, it is a premature and complete exhibition of adolescent conduct and direct interference with statutory functions of the judiciary and EFCC for Kingsley Fawon to indulge in defending Yahaya Bello on the pages of news papers or using mass media to giving Yahaya Bello clean bill of righteousness vide media publications when those who have statutory duties and responsibilities to say so have not done so.
As of the last I checked, this Kingsley Fawon is not an official of EFCC. He is not a judge or judicial officer. So, the statement being issued by this Kingsley Fawon is completely outside his duties as a so-commissioner of information of Kogi State. He is, as I said before, abusing his office contrary to the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria. Kingsley Fawon must be called to order now.
Let it be known that Kogi people are united in their beliefs that the regime of Yahaya Bello was the worst in the annal of the history of the state where public funds were wantonly looted in the most reckless abandon. Thuggish and thuggery were unleased on the people. A woman, Salome Abuh, was burnt and roasted alive in the name of politics in Kogi State.
Governance was reduced to the art of propaganda, terrorism and the people were brazenly slaughtered at the whims and caprices of those who should protect lives and properties. These were done under the watch of Yahaya Bello. Law and order were in abeyance under the watch of that despotic government. Now, the time for reckoning has come.
Let Kingsley Fawon and his group wait. Let Yahaya Bello surrender himself to EFCC and other security agencies in defence of petitions against him. If and when the security agencies decided that he has a case or cases to answer and he is finally charged to court or courts, then Kingsley Fawon and his group can line themselves up as witnesses for defence or defences of Yahaya Bello. Until then let Kingsley Fawon and his puppet government govern Kogi State to reduce the suffering of Kogi people who are currently in total bondage and hell foisted on them by the squandermania regime of Yahaya Bello. Enough of these shenanigans. EFCC must not be ganged. Let EFCC get Yahaya Bello anywhere he is and let Yahaya Bello’s side of stories be heard in accordance with the law. That has to be done, and it should be done now.
