Aliyu Bello, Governor Yahaya Bello’s nephew, and Dauda Sulaiman have been remanded in prison custody by Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Abuja Division o the Federal High Court for fraudulently withdrawing N10 billion from Kogi’s treasury. 

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

Mr Bello was arraigned alongside Abdulsalami Hudu, the Kogi Government House cashier.

“They were remanded upon arraignment alongside one Abdulsalami Hudu, Cahier of Kogi State House Administration (now at large) on a 10-count charge of misappropriation and money laundering,” said a statement by the EFCC.

The anti-corruption agency added, “Bello and Sulaiman are accused of fraudulently withdrawing a sum of N10,270,556,800 from the Kogi State treasury, which they delivered to a bureau de change operator, Rabiu Tafada, in Abuja to keep or change to foreign currencies for personal gains.”

However, on Thursday, Kogi’s information commissioner Kingsley Fanwo accused EFCC of “desperation to crucify Kogi state at all costs.”

Mr Fanwo stated, “The chairman of the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has shown a desperate penchant for satisfying his sponsors who are bent on disparaging the good image of the Government and people of Kogi State for political gains.”