ONIF TV previously disclosed that officers under Governor Ododo’s command thwarted EFCC attempts to apprehend Yahaya Bello on Wednesday.
Gunfire erupted at the Abuja residence of former Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello, as Governor Usman Ododo reportedly facilitated his escape amidst the EFCC’s siege.
A security insider informed ONIF TV on Wednesday evening that “Ododo, also known as Married Woman, escorted Yahaya Bello to safety,” mentioning a “serious gun battle in Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4 in Abuja.”
Earlier, ONIF TV reported that Governor Ododo’s security detail prevented EFCC personnel from apprehending Yahaya Bello.
The EFCC had earlier cordoned off Bello’s residence in Wuse, Abuja, as revealed by ONIF TV.
Ododo visited the besieged former Kogi governor on Wednesday afternoon with a convoy of security personnel.
Sources within the EFCC informed ONIF TV that Governor Ododo’s officers hindered Bello’s arrest, potentially averting a violent confrontation.
“The Inspector General of Police allegedly reinforced Yahaya Bello through Governor Ododo to resist arrest. “But we’re striving to prevent a violent clash,” said one source.
ONIF TV previously disclosed that the EFCC successfully traced Bello to Abuja through strategic means.
Bello deliberately abandoned his mobile phone in the Kogi Government House, aiming to evade tracking to Abuja. However, EFCC operatives tracked his aide’s phone, ultimately locating him in Abuja.
“The former governor left his phone in Kogi’s Government House to evade tracking to Abuja. “But his aide’s phone led us to his location in Abuja,” revealed a top security source to ONIF TV.
The EFCC’s siege followed Bello’s recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House.
On Wednesday, a reliable source shared a photo depicting EFCC operatives barricading access to Bello’s residence.
“No movement in the area as EFCC barricaded the house. They are yet to gain access,” the source informed ONIF TV.
Although the reason for the EFCC’s raid on the former governor’s residence remains undisclosed, the agency had leveled fraud charges against him.
The EFCC had accused the former governor of financial misconduct totaling N84 billion.
Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello, faced charges of money laundering amounting to N10 billion, alongside Dauda Sulaiman and Abdulsalam Hudu.
In December 2021, ONIF TV reported the EFCC’s seizure of $760,910.84 from Bello’s payment to the American International School, Abuja, for prepaid tuition fees for his four children.
The EFCC’s investigation deemed the advanced school fees as proceeds of crime, prompting a demand for refund through a dedicated CBN account.