By Seyi Babalola
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied allegations that its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, subjected the immediate former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to a media trial.
Olukoyede had organized a news conference in which he revealed that Bello took $720,000 from a government account to cover his child’s school expenses.
He further said that the former governor ordered the EFCC to visit his hamlet and question him.
The EFCC Chairman further vowed to resign if he fails to arrest Bello and follow through with the investigation.
But a former ECOWAS Court of Justice Vice President, Prof. Nwoke Chijioke, disagreed with Olukoyede.
Chijioke said the press conference was a wrong approach and an unfair trial.
Chijioke said, ‘’The EFCC chairman’s press conference of yesterday was uncalled for. That is an unfair trial. All these challenges are because of what I would call a media trial.”
However, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said Olukoyede’s revelations did not violate any rule.
A statement by Oyewale said, “There is nothing the chairman said on Tuesday that was not already in the public domain.
“Also, we have filed our processes, and everything is before the court, so the chairman did not say anything that is not already in public domain.
“The chairman himself is a lawyer, and he knows his onions. Everything he said was within his rights as the Chief Executive Officer of the EFCC.”
