Report on freezing of Kogi account a joke – Gov Bello

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Tuesday described the report on the freezing of the state’s account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a joke taken too far.

The Federal High Court, Lagos, had on August 31 granted the EFCC request to freeze a Kogi State’s account in a commercial bank over a N20 billion loan.

Bello, who fielded questions from State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, denied reports that the EFCC recently blocked some of his state’s salary accounts.

He described the alleged misappropriation of the Federal Government’s bailout funds to the state as a lie and misrepresentation of facts.

He counseled the anti-graft agency not to allow itself to be led on a “journey of no discovery.”

Bello said: “I want to urge you to disregard the reports on freezing of Kogi State account. No Kogi state government’s salary account is frozen. None whatsoever. I think it’s just a misrepresentation of facts or is a joke taken too far.

“My Information Commissioner and all those that are concerned with that lies peddled by the EFCC, I think they have responded appropriately. And I will urge each and every Nigerian to please go to Kogi State website and all the facts are there. The banks have denied that we don’t have such an account.

“Besides that, the bailout fund that we obtained, we appropriated in line with the agreement and understanding between the Kogi State government and the workers. All of these were done and we finished all these in 2019. So first, there’s no N20 billion account. So I don’t know where the lie is coming from.

“I think in the days ahead, you will hear exactly where the matter shall be resolved. That’s why I said that it’s a joke taken too far. I want to believe that either the officials of the EFCC may have misled the commission. Remember that we will not just allow this to lie low because Mr. President prides on fighting corruption.”