Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of lying against him over a N20 billion scandal rocking his administration.
The Lagos Division of the Federal High Court had frozen Mr Bello administration’s salary bailout account domiciled in a commercial bank over an alleged N20 billion loan obtained from it.
The court froze the account following an ex parte application brought by the EFCC, pending the conclusion of the investigation or possible prosecution.
Abass Muhammed, counsel to the EFCC, told the court that the order was necessary to preserve the ‘res’ (the fund in question) and abate further dissipation of the funds in the account.
While Fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja on Tuesday, the governor accused the EFCC of misinterpreting facts.
”No Kogi state government’s salary account is frozen. None whatsoever. None of our accounts is frozen or embargo placed on any of our accounts by EFCC at all,” claimed Mr Bello. ”I think it’s just a misrepresentation of facts or is a joke taken too far. My information commissioner and all those that are concerned with that lies peddled by the EFCC, I think they have responded appropriately.”
According to him, the bank “has denied that we have such an account.”
He added, “There’s no N20 billion account, or N19 billion, no fixed deposit account. So, I don’t know where the lie is coming from. I think in the days ahead, you will hear exactly how the matter shall be resolved. That’s why I said that is a joke taken too far.”
He pointed out that “the officials of the EFCC” might have misled the anti-corruption agency.
”Remember that we will not just allow this to lie low because Mr President prides on fighting corruption, and EFCC is one of the agencies that is being used to fight corruption,” Mr Bello added.
(NAN)
