While the operatives were at the property, Ododo made an
entrance.
Shortly after Ododo left the residence, the EFCC operatives
ended their siege. There were reports that Ododo had surreptitiously whisked
Bello away in one of the cars in his convoy.
Amid the drama, the Kogi high court delivered judgment in a
fundamental rights enforcement suit, restraining the commission from
“harassing, threatening to arrest or detaining” the former governor.
On the same day, the EFCC obtained a warrant of arrest
against Bello from a federal high court in Abuja.
Subsequently, the anti-graft agency declared the former
governor wanted, while the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) placed Bello on a
watchlist.
Bello was also absent for an arraignment that was initially
scheduled for April 18, citing fear of arrest.
‘WRONG USE OF
IMMUNITY’
Speaking on Saturday at the national integration conference,
Oshiomhole said Ododo’s “rescue” of Bello and the former governor’s refusal to
show up in court, constitutes a breach of the law.
The conference which had ‘Revisiting the national question:
Nigeria’s elusive search for national integration’ as its theme, was organised
by the Kukah Centre.
The senator also urged citizens to speak up against breaches
of the law — irrespective of who is involved.
“If you are afraid, given the fact that you are very vocal,
you are independent, you cannot be dismissed, you cannot be promoted or
demoted… if you are afraid to mention the name of a former governor who breached
the law and a sitting governor who used his immunity to cover a governor that
lost immunity, where will the courage come from?” Oshiomhole said.
“This sophistry of
saying we can name the child of a poor man who steal(s) a goat but we are
afraid to mention the name of a big man who breached the law, that for me is at
the root of our problems.”
‘ALL CHILDREN MUST
HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION’
Bello had also allegedly paid $760,910 in advance fees to
the American International School Abuja (AISA) for five of his children from
the coffers of the Kogi state government.
The children are in grade levels 2 to 8 at the school.
Oshiomhole said during his spell as Edo governor, his
colleagues denied children of the poor access to education.
“As a former governor, I was a member of the national
economic council (NEC) where some state governors argued that they did not have
the resources to pay 50 percent subsidy in order to ensure that the children of
the poor go to school even when those governors are sending their own children
abroad,” Oshiomhole added.
The former Edo governor said leaders must possess the
political will to implement laws they enact.
“What I consider to be the most important investment,
namely, that never should a child be born in this country and be denied access
to go to school,” he said.
