Monday, July 13, 2026

Yahaya Bello remains wanted; SSS, police should help us capture him: EFCC

“We have declared him wanted, and he is still wanted,” Dele Oyewale, spokesperson for the anti-graft agency, told Peoples Gazette on Thursday.

• July 11, 2024
Yahaya Bello declared wanted (Credit: EFCC)
Yahaya Bello declared wanted (Credit: EFCC)

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says former Governor Yahaya Bello remains wanted, and his arrest is a collective responsibility of all security agencies in Nigeria.

“We have declared him wanted, and he is still wanted,” Dele Oyewale, spokesperson for the anti-graft agency, told Peoples Gazette on Thursday.

When asked why the fugitive former governor had not been arrested since he was declared wanted months ago, Mr Oyewale said, “When a suspected is declared wanted in law enforcement, the responsibility of his arrest is on all the security agencies.”

According to the EFCC official, there are other suspects that the agency has launched a manhunt.

“It is not Yahaya Bello alone. There are so many suspects declared wanted by the EFCC, and we ate on their trail. Until we are done with them, they remain declared wanted,” said the EFCC spokesman. 

Mr Oyewale added, “So it is not about him alone. Go to our website, you’ll see so many suspects declared wanted, and they remain in that status until they are arrested.”

In April, the EFCC declared the ex-governor wanted for alleged crimes of stealing N80 billion from Kogi’s treasury.

The declaration came after the agency faced considerable resistance from Mr Bello’s security detail during a previous attempt to arrest him for prosecution.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Beach soccer

Sport

Union lauds NFF for beach soccer board appointment

The West African Beach Soccer Union has commended the Nigeria Football Federation for appointing an interim board to organise the beach soccer and Futsal leagues in Nigeria.

Shuai Guipeng

Economy

China assures full implementation of China-Africa cooperation

Shuai Guipeng, the deputy director of the FOCAC Office at China’s foreign affairs ministry, gave the assurance on Monday in an interview in Beijing.

Teacher teaching maths

Education

Stakeholders seek stronger support for inclusive maths education

Stakeholders have called for sustained investment in teacher training and accessible learning resources to improve mathematics education.

Flooded Ibeju-Lekki

Lagos

Latest Lagos Flooding: Ibeju-Lekki LG chairman tours affected areas, promises intervention

The tour assessed the extent of the damage following devastating flooding caused by persistent rainfall, which rendered residents homeless and destroyed valuable possessions.

Enugu State police

Opinion

Some foundational arguments on state police

This historical inheritance also explains why the regional police of the First Republic became vulnerable to political manipulation.

Armed Cops

States

Police launch manhunt for driver, conductor over attempted murder of officers

The police command in Enugu has launched a manhunt for a bus driver and his conductor for the attempted murder of officers and the snatching of a rifle.