Gov Yahaya Bello battles to clear self from diversion of N19.3bn bailout

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State on Thursday renewed battle to clear self from the allegation of diverting N19.3 billion bailout funds. The Kogi State Government, accordingly, contested the order issued by the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to freeze the accounts of the state government, arguing that the court did not rely on facts but on blatant lies and falsehood by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), to denigrate Governor Yahaya Bello and his administration.

Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, debunked that the state government operates Fixed Deposit Account with Sterling Bank into which the said N19 billion Bailout Fund received in 2019 for the payment of workers salaries was claimed to be diverted. The commissioner protested that the EFCC misled the court to grant an ex-parte order by fraudulently presenting to the court that Sterling bank Account, (0073572696) is a Fixed Deposit Account, being operated by the Kogi State government.

The Information Commissioner declared that the state government did not lodge any N19.3 billion with the Sterling Bank or anywhere else in a Fixed Deposit Account.

The commissioner also declared that the state government at no time gave Sterling Bank any instruction to that effect, insisting that the Kogi State government has completed disbursement of the bailout fund for salaries, as at 23rd of July, 2019; adding that by 31st of August 2021 when the court issued the ex-parte order, the cumulative amount it has in both the salary and bails out accounts with Sterling Bank was N46 million.

The Commissioner for Information presented several bank statements and other salary documents as evidence to prove how the bailout fund was disbursed by the Kogi State government.

Kingsley Fanwo displayed cover letter issued by Sterling Bank, dated 1st September 2021, to confirm the argument of the Kogi State government.

The information commissioner lamented that with all the evidence, Kogi State government is in shock how the EFCC gathered the falsehood it used to secure the court order, freezing an account that did not even exist, noting that the state government will stop at nothing to take up the matter in court with the commission and prove to the world and, especially, the people of Kogi State, that the governor’s hands are clean.