Bello’s Delayed Trial: EFCC Says Judiciary, Not Commission, Controls Court Proceedings

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has disclosed that it continues to face public harassment and ridicule over the alleged looting of Kogi State by its former governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, whose trial has suffered delays in court.

Bello is standing trial over alleged money laundering and theft involving N110.4 billion. The EFCC has been prosecuting the former governor since he left office in January 2024, but the case has experienced delays and prolonged proceedings in court.

In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, in Abuja, the anti-graft agency described the criticism and harassment directed at it over stalled high-profile cases, particularly that of the former Kogi State governor, as unnecessary.
The commission explained that the case had already been transferred to the courts and was no longer within its control to determine the pace of prosecution.

Oyewale made this clarification during a joint press conference organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja. The event brought together public relations officers from military, security and law enforcement agencies.

He was responding to concerns raised by participants over delays in the prosecution of some individuals facing charges instituted by the EFCC.
Oyewale said: “The commission’s mandate is restricted to investigation and prosecution, leaving final adjudication exclusively within the jurisdiction of the courts.

“The EFCC as an anti-corruption agency is not the judiciary,” Oyewale said. “We cannot be the accuser and the judge in our own matter.

“Our mandate allows us to investigate, to prosecute, to prevent, but our mandate does not allow us to adjudicate.
“It is within the mandate and responsibility of the judiciary to decide when a matter is resolved or not”.

Addressing public scrutiny surrounding the former Kogi governor’s court proceedings, Oyewale noted that the commission maintains a 98 per cent prosecution success rate globally.
He maintained that the EFCC should not be held responsible for judicial scheduling or procedural complexities associated with financial crime trials.

“The issue of Yahaya Bello is always there. They continually harass us about Yahaya Bello. And we’ve charged the matter to court; the matter is in two different courts. We are going to court, and we wait for the judiciary to decide the matter,” he added.