The Kogi State House of Assembly in Nigeria has called for the immediate dismissal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, accusing him of misconduct in handling the case against former Governor Yahaya Bello.
During a plenary session held in Lokoja on Monday, the legislators condemned the EFCC’s recent actions, alleging an assassination attempt on both Bello and the current Governor, Ahmed Ododo.
The lawmakers decried the attack on the Kogi State Government Lodge by EFCC operatives, claiming it targeted the lives of the governors. “The chairman has shown incompetence that warrants his removal,” asserted Abu Jibril, a lawmaker from Ajaokuta State Constituency. He further emphasized the need for Olukoyede to be prosecuted.
Another legislator, Bode Ogunmola of Ogori/Magongo State Constituency, stated, “For the EFCC Chairman to order that fire be opened on the official lodge of the governor, he should be sacked and prosecuted. We should be told why he wants to kill our governor.”
The motion for the EFCC Chairman’s removal was introduced by Akus Lawal, who noted that the agency seemed determined to humiliate or harm both the former and current governors. “This has gone on too long, and it must stop,” Lawal remarked.
In a unanimous resolution, the House declared the EFCC’s actions as an orchestrated attack against Kogi State, urging President Tinubu to take immediate action. The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Yusuf, read the resolution: “The House formally categorizes the April 17 and September 18 incidents as assassination attempts on the former Governor, and by extension, a threat to the life of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.”
Despite these allegations, the EFCC has remained firm in its stance, announcing the arraignment of Yahaya Bello on April 18, 2024, on charges of money laundering amounting to over N80 billion.
