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Ex-governor Yahaya Bello Refuses To Leave Government House,

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Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), are closing-in on the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello over allegation of fraud allegedly perpetrated by him while in office.

 

 

Bello, who styled himself as the “White lion” while serving as governor, left office in January 2024 on completion of his two terms in office, has been identified by the EFCC as a co-conspirator in an alleged corruption and misappropriation of public funds allegedly carried out through his nephew, Ali Bello.

 

 

Specifically, Bello was identified and named by the EFCC as a co-conspirator and defendant in an alleged corrupt conduct by his nephew, Ali Bello, who is standing trial in a case of money laundering at a Federal High Court, Abuja.

 

 

The EFCC on February 5, 2024 amended the charges against Ali Bello from 10 to 17 count charges against Ali Bello, who is presently the Chief of Staff to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo in the trial that commenced in 2022.

 

 

Even though the EFCC is yet to officially charge Bello to court, the former powerful governor of Kogi State has kept off all public function or visit certain places to prevent being arrested by agents of the EFCC that are trailing and monitoring his movements.

 

 

Bello who worked so hard to install a successor, is believed to still maintain the Governor’s official residence as his abode as part of the game of evading arrest by the anti-corruption agency that is desirous of picking him up at any slight opportunity.

 

 

The embattled former governor is also believed to be using the security personnel and convoy of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo just as he ensured that he only travels to and fro Abuja and Okenne in the company of the sitting governor of Kogi State.

 

 

However, a dependable source at the EFCC headquarters, situated at Jabi District of Abuja, told Forefront on condition of anonymity that the agency is closing in on former governor Yahaya Bello and would be picked up in matter of days.

 

 

The source said that the former governor tried in vain to get the nod of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stop his arrest and possible prosecution which fell flat on its face value as the President refused to interfere with the activities of the Commission.

 

 

According to the source; “It must be understood that immunity does not really cover a property or residence but only the person bestowed with such rights. If you would cast your mind back to 2027, the official residence of a sitting governor in one of the States in the North-west zone was searched and monies recovered from it with the governor present.

 

 

“So, Yahaya Bello using the Government House as a hiding place may not necessarily prevent his arrest. The Commission is working on it. Government houses cannot be used to carry out crimes of hide suspects,” the source said.

 

 

The refusal of President Tinubu was believed to have further jolted and destabilised former Governor Bello, who has equally fallen out of favour with his Party’s national leadership following his attempt shortly after leaving office to cause an upheaval with the intension to take over the position of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a development he later denied.

 

 

Another source close to the EFCC said that the Commission has gone far in profiling some of the assets alleged linked to Bello both within Nigeria and outside the country for possible confiscation ahead of the Court case.

 

 

It was also gathered that President Tinubu has refused to grant audience to Governor Ododo over the matter thereby making it difficult for Bello to feel free from being arrested by the EFCC since he no longer enjoy immunity.

 

 

International News

Transfer: Real Madrid , Cucurella Reach Verbal Agreement 

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Chelsea reliable defender, Marc Cucurella may join Spanish giant, Real Madrid before the end of the current transfer window.if information from transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano are anything to go by.

 

Romano In a latest transfer update, said Real Madrid has reached verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

“Verbal agreement in place between all parties, player too — he’s the left back wanted by Mourinho” the update read.

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Hakimi, Vinicius Barred From Speaking Spanish At World Cup

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FIFA has come under scrutiny after several high-profile players, including Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Junior, were discouraged from speaking Spanish during media engagements at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

 

The issue first surfaced ahead of Morocco’s Group C clash with Brazil when a Spanish-speaking journalist attempted to question Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi in Spanish.

Despite Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicating he was comfortable answering in Spanish, event officials reportedly insisted that questions be asked in English.

Hakimi attempted to reassure organizers that language would not be a barrier, but officials maintained that no Spanish translator was available for the session. A compromise was eventually reached, with the reporter asking the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.

The controversy intensified during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while responding to a question in Spanish.

The Real Madrid forward, who is more comfortable speaking Portuguese or Spanish than English, was reportedly asked by organizers to switch languages.

Rather than continue in Spanish, Vinicius opted to answer in Portuguese before turning his attention back to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.

The incidents sparked widespread debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions across North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament being hosted largely in the United States.

According to Spanish media outlet El País, FIFA only provides Spanish-language translation services at World Cup press conferences involving Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted either in English or the official language of the participating country.

The policy has generated criticism online, with many supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup.

The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.

The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a highly anticipated encounter between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the issue now drawing international attention, FIFA may face increasing calls to review its media language guidelines as the tournament progresses.

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It’s Illegal’…Falana’s Bombshell Indicts Govs, FG.

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Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has warned federal and state governments against negotiating with and rewarding terrorists.

 

According to Falana, the practice is illegal.

He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja on June 13, 2026.

Falana claimed it is public knowledge officials of the Federal Government and some State Governments have been holding meetings and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, which has led to thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals being forgiven and given cash gifts of undisclosed sums of money.

Asserting that the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed” under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Falana insisted that “their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State.”

Highlighting the legal consequences, he quoted Section 22 of the Act, stating: “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”

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