Dons EzeIGP OPPOSES STATE POLICE, WANTS NSCDC FRSC TO BE MERGED
IGP OPPOSES STATE POLICE, WANTS NSCDC, FRSC TO BE MERGED The Inspector of General of Police, IGP Olukayode Egbetokun, has said that instead of creating a State Police structure, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) should be merged as a Department under the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). Egbetokun stated this in his remarks at the National Dialogue on State Policing organised by the House of Representatives in collaboration with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) held in Abuja on Monday. Represented by an Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Ben Okolo, the Police boss also said that the yearly police recruitment should be increased by at least 30,000 to meet the United Nations (UN) ratio. He also called for increased budgetary allocations to the Nigerian Police for effective training of personnel in modern policing to enhance efficiency and amendment of the 1999 Constitution for more empowerment and funding of police which is the lead internal security agency. Egbetokun noted that if State Police is established, governors will use the structure under their control for political or personal gains undermining human rights and security, adding thatcreating state police at the moment will exacerbate ethnic tension in the country. The Inspector General Police said the agitations for state police were informed by the perception that Police were not leaving up to its responsibility, a development caused by a motley of challenges militating against the Force. He identified some of the challenges as inadequate manpower, inadequate operational equipment; arms and ammunition, surveillance equipment, inadequate training due to poor funding as well as inadequate office and barracks accommodations. “Most police stations and barracks that were built over the years in the colonial period have not undergone any renovations despite the increase in the strength of the Force. These have impacted negatively on the performance of the personnel. “The police leadership is recommending the following instead of creating state police; merging the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and Federal Road Safety Corps as a Department under the Nigeria Police “Yearly of police recruitment should be increased by at least 30,000 to meet the United Nations requirements. Increase in the budgetary allocations to the Nigerian Police Force. Effective training of personnel in modern policing to enhance efficiency,” he stated. Similarly, the Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Geidam, observed that while State Police was essential local security, it has the potential for political interference and human rights abuse. He said: “Establishment of state police is not without its demerits; one of them is political interference. Oversight and accountability are paramount and must be put in place to ensure the interference is reduced. An implementation roadmap is essential for successful operation.” Earlier, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, saidit was through collaboration and a shared commitment to the common good that the country can develop policies and strategies that will enhance its security infrastructure. Represented by Maj-Gen. Adekunle Ariyibi, the Defence Chief said the need for a comprehensive and responsive security framework that includes the establishment of state police was undeniable. “I encourage all of us to approach these deliberations with an open mind, to engage in constructive dialogue, and to consider the diverse perspectives that will be shared. “It is through collaboration and a shared commitment to the common good that we can develop policies and strategies that will enhance the security infrastructure of our dear nation.“This dialogue presents an opportunity for us to engage in constructive and open discussions, to share perspectives, and to collectively chart a path forward. It is through collaboration and understanding that we can develop policies and strategies that will enhance the security infrastructure of our nation,” the CDS added.
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YAHAYA BELLO NOT HIDING IN OUR HOUSE – FAMILY OF EX-KOGI GOV PRINCE AUDU
YAHAYA BELLO NOT HIDING IN OUR HOUSE – FAMILY OF EX-KOGI GOV, PRINCE AUDU The family of the late Prince Abubakar Audu, former governor of Kogi State, on Sunday denied reports of harbouring the immediate past governor of the state, Yahaya Bello. Prince Audu’s son, Mohammed Abubakar, said their family house in Ogbonocha, Ofu Local Government Area of the state, serves solely as a private residence for family members and not a sanctuary for any political figure. Following the disappearance of Bello, reports had it that the former governor was hiding in the family house of the Audus. This followed the inability of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to arrest Bello during a raid at his residence in Abuja. However, Abubakar, in a statement, said: “The attention of Prince Abubakar Audu’s family has been drawn to spurious and ridiculous rumors and publications circulating across various social media platforms, alleging that the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, is being harboured in our family house at Ogbonocha, Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State. We wish to inform the public that this claim is entirely false. “We wish to emphasize that our family house at Ogbonocha serves solely as a private residence for members of the Audu family and is not a sanctuary for any political figure, past or present. “As custodians of our family’s heritage, we uphold the principles of honesty and integrity that Prince Abubakar Audu embodied throughout his lifetime. “We urge the public to exercise caution and discernment when encountering such sensationalist claims, recognizing them for what they are: baseless conjecture designed to sow confusion.“The Audu family remains committed to upholding the truth and preserving the dignity of our late patriarch’s memory.”
ESCAPEE BINANCE EXECUTIVE, ANJARWALLA, CAUGHT BY KENYAN POLICE
ESCAPEE BINANCE EXECUTIVE, ANJARWALLA, CAUGHT BY KENYAN POLICE The Kenya Police Service has detained Nadeem Anjarwalla, a Binance executive who fled Nigeria, with plans for his extradition to Nigeria underway through the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL). Government insiders, preferring anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, confirmed this development on Sunday evening. A source stated, “Nadeem Anjarwalla, a Binance executive, has been apprehended by the Kenya Police Service, and arrangements are being made for his extradition to Nigeria within the week by INTERPOL.” Another source echoed this sentiment, saying, “As previously indicated, Anjarwalla’s extradition is imminent. He has been apprehended in Kenya and will be extradited to Nigeria this week.” Earlier reports revealed that the Nigerian government had tracked down Anjarwalla in Kenya after his escape from custody in Nigeria. Following this development, discussions have intensified between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), INTERPOL, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Kenyan Police Service to expedite Anjarwalla’s extradition. Anjarwalla had gone into hiding upon his arrival in Kenya after his cover was blown, according to a previous report by Saturday PUNCH. “We have located him. He is in Kenya, and we are collaborating with authorities to bring him back to Nigeria. The government and security agencies are fully engaged, working alongside Kenyan authorities and INTERPOL to ensure his return to Nigeria to face charges,” a source stated. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, affirmed in the March edition of the commission’s bulletin, “EFCC Alert,” that efforts were underway to extradite Anjarwalla in collaboration with INTERPOL, the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the governments of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, and Kenya. Olukoyede emphasized the EFCC’s commitment to combatting distortions and disruptions in Nigeria’s forex market, citing allegations of tax evasion, currency speculation, and money laundering against Binance Holdings Limited and its executives, including Anjarwalla.With Gambaryan already in custody, efforts are focused on extraditing Anjarwalla, with cooperation from international law enforcement agencies and governments.
PETER OBI’S ROMANCE WITH NORTH RAISES 2027 PERMUTATIONS -THE GUARDIAN
PETER OBI’S ROMANCE WITH NORTH RAISES 2027 PERMUTATIONS – THE GUARDIAN With his recent visits to northern communities, it appears that Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has begun laying the groundwork for a potential run in the 2027 presidential race even before the starting signal is sounded. After the Ramadan began in March, Obi visited numerous mosques in northern Muslim communities in Nasarawa, Niger, Kebbi, Bauchi, Gombe, Sokoto and Kaduna states before the fasting period concluded. In the course of the tour, the former Anambra State governor commissioned multi-million naira boreholes in some of these states, making political observers reason that the LP chieftain has started a mission to boost his popularity among Muslim voters ahead of the 2027 elections. But Obi’s visit to these northern states is coming at a time his party is embroiled in a series of leadership crises. Recall that prior to the 2023 election, the presidential candidate of the LP, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), enjoyed massive support among urban youths. But he failed to make inroads into the Muslim majority states in the North, as the results of the election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicated. The Guardian investigation revealed that lack of votes in the North highly affected his chance to emerge as the winner of the fiercely contested election. In the 2023 presidential poll, Obi won in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Most of these states are in Southern Nigeria. He won in Enugu, Lagos, Nasarawa, Delta, Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Abia, Plateau, Edo, Cross River and FCT. Although he came third in the election based on INEC’s official results, he filed a case at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPT) in Abuja to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory. In the petition, which he filed alongside his party, he alleged that the poll was marred by various forms of corrupt practices such as over-voting, votes suppression and non-compliance with the provision of the Electoral Act in various states. He disputed the results announced by INEC in Rivers, Lagos, Taraba, Benue, Adamawa, Imo, Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau, Ekiti, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Gombe, Yobe and Niger states. He lost his case at both the PEPT and the Supreme Court. But analysts observed that the former governor has established the viability of a third-party candidacy, something that the entrenchment of the two strong parties — the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP — had made highly unlikely. But what factors led to Obi’s defeat at the poll even though he had garnered a cult-like followership among the youth? [b]Judging from the pattern of the presidential results, it was clear that he performed poorly in core Muslim states in the North. According to the results announced by INEC, President Tinubu scored 8,794,726 votes. His closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP scored 6,984,520 votes to emerge second in the election. Obi got a total of 6,101,533 votes while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) came fourth with 1,496,687 votes. In terms of regional spread, the Northwest had the highest number of votes with about 6.6 million votes, followed by the North-central with above 4.5 million votes. The South-west, with about 4.25 million votes, placed third while the North-east followed with about 3.4 million votes. The South-south had 2.85 million while the South-east had 2.2 million votes. Obi won two regions (South-east and South-south) while PDP’s Atiku scored more votes in only one region (Northeast). Obi trailed Tinubu in the Northcentral while Atiku came second in the South-west and North-west. Overall, Tinubu scored 37 per cent of votes in the elections. His main challenger, Atiku, got 29 per…
ANOTHER WARD EXCO SUSPENDS GANDUJE AS APC CRISIS LINGERS
ANOTHER WARD EXCO SUSPENDS GANDUJE AS APC’S INTERNAL CRISIS LINGERS Unrelenting, the band of party stakeholders at the grassroots have refused to back off on the suspension bid of the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as new ward executives in Ganduje ward, Dawakin-Tofa local government area of Kano State yesterday, imposed fresh suspension on the embattled national chairman and former governor of the state. In what began as child’s play last week, a group of 11 persons led by one Haladu Gwanjo, who claimed to be leaders of Ganduje ward suspended the APC chairman from the party over corruption allegations instituted by the state government in a reminiscence of the 2020 playbook intrigues that led to the eventual removal of Adams Oshiomhole as APC national chairman. Few hours later, a 25-member group surfaced only to claim the real authority of Ganduje ward. Led by Ahmad Mohammed, the group of 25 who described the G-11 as impostors dismissed the suspension. In a wave of the hand, the party’s chieftains at the state and headquarters dismissed the suspension. From the blues, a court order from the state affirmed Ganduje’s sack, setting the stage for legal fireworks that may set the tone for the intrigues and battle of wits ahead of the 2027 politicking. While some political watchers are pointing accusing fingers at the presidency for Ganduje’s travails over an unstated pact by the presidency to court Kano strongman and national leader of the New National People’s Party (NNPP), Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso for 2027, others are insinuating that the rumoured pact for Kwankwaso to replace Kashim Shettima as vice president on the second-term ticket of President Bola Tinubu is a stretched ploy to further unsettle the ruling party by causing a wedge between the president and VP, with Ganduje as the fall guy. But as the proxy war and shadowboxing rage behind the scenes, in an intriguing twist, a new group that claimed to be the legitimate party officers legally and validly elected on July 31, 2021, in Ganduje ward, threatened to institute legal action against any impersonator parading themselves as APC excos in the area after serving a fresh suspension on the national chairman. Addressing journalists in the early hours on Sunday, secretary of Ganduje ward, Ja’afar Adamu Ganduje, who spoke on behalf of 11 other executive members, said the new suspension is leveled against the national chairman for alleged involvement in anti-party activities in the ward. The secretary lamented that Dr. Ganduje’s divisive attitude in the local politics in Ganduje ward was the reason for the membership collapse and the failure of APC to secure victory in the last election. Adamu, who is Ganduje’s nephew, also accused the former governor of igniting a conflict of interest that led to two factional excos in the ward while bringing the party to disrepute in the mind of the public, another reason warranting his suspension. Also, Adamu alleged that the APC national chairman has not been paying his statutory dues to the party at the ward level. According to Adamu, “We are the authentic executives of Ganduje ward and we have passed a vote of no confidence and imposed a new suspension on Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for a series of reasons.” The self-acclaimed secretary noted that the two factions claiming to be excos of Ganduje ward are impostors being plotted by Dr. Ganduje and others in his camp to create controversy in the party. He further disclosed the readiness of the validly elected Ganduje ward leaders to take legal action against the two factions earlier claiming to be ward excos. In a swift reaction, the Ahmed Muhammad-led factional chairman of APC Ganduje ward has urged the public to…
HOW ARMY COMMANDER IN ENUGU VISITED ‘KILLER SOLDIER’ IN DETENTION, GAVE HIM MONEY, PLOTS TO COVER UP MURDER BY FORGING MENTAL ILLNESS RESULT
HOW ARMY COMMANDER IN ENUGU VISITED ‘KILLER SOLDIER’ IN DETENTION, GAVE HIM MONEY, PLOTS TO COVER UP MURDER BY FORGING MENTAL ILLNESS RESULT The acting commander of the 82 Divisions Provost Group, Lt Colonel KA Adeta allegedly attempted to cover up the killing of a pregnant woman, Miss Hauwakulu Tabra by a soldier, Private Mohammed Adamu before SaharaReporters’ exposure of the matter, multiple sources on Tuesday confirmed. SaharaReporters had exclusively reported how Adamu with service number 21NA/80/0365 stabbed the late Tabra. Multiple sources had narrated how the lifeless body of the five-month-old pregnant woman wearing a hijab was discovered on Friday by the daughter of an army lieutenant around the division’s officers’ quarters. The suspect was said to be working with the division’s legal service. According to two senior military officers who spoke to SaharaReporters, Adamu is a “repentant” Boko Haram member who after his repentance joined the Civilian Joint Task Force and later was enlisted into the Nigerian Army in the year 2021. The Nigerian Army had between 2020 and 2021 absorbed 400 members of the civilian JTF into its fold to assist in prosecuting the war against Boko Haram terrorists. “The suspect behind the murder of Miss Hauwa, the hijab woman is 21NA/80/0365 Pte Mohammed Adamu of 82Div legal services,” one of the sources had said. “Unfortunately, Pte Mohammed Adamu is a repented Boko Haram member who after his repentance joined the civilian JTF. It was from being a CJTF that he was enlisted into the Army in the year 2021. “Investigation revealed that Miss Hauwa and Pte Mohammed Adamu were both lovers and from the same town in Biu local government area of Borno state. He, Pte Mohammed Adamu paid her transport to come over to Enugu and killed her. He is currently in custody of the military police and his statement has been taken in which he confessed to the act.” However, it was learnt that Lieutenant Colonel Adeta visited Adamu where he was detained by the military police before the story was published by SaharaReporters. According to different sources, the army commander gave the killer soldier the sum of N8000 for his feeding in detention. “Thanks for letting the whole world be aware of the truth. On the night of Saturday, the acting Commander 82Div Provost Group, Lieutenant Colonel KA Adeta visited and requested to see the suspect behind the murder of late Miss Hauwa,” one of the sources told SaharaReporters. “During his visit, he told the killer to calm down that nothing would happen. Don’t forget that Adamu is the bathman to Major HY Shehu, the persecuting counsel and also DDLS of 82 Division. So he is like a boy to many of these top officers because he has access to many confidential documents and petitions written against them. “So, after his assurance, he asked the Pte Mohammed Adamu if there is anything he would like him to do for him. After everything, he dropped off the sum of eight thousand naira for his feeding pending when his boss Major HY Shehu who travelled to Abuja comes back from his trip. “Let me tell you something as well, same Lieutenant Colonel KA Adeta was once dismissed from service, though he was reinstated after a Court of Appeal judgement, the army intentionally refused to appeal at the Supreme Court. This was when Adeta was a Captain under 7 Division Provost Group sometimes in the year 2016 or thereabout in Maiduguri, Borno State. “He was court-martialled in a murder related case where someone in his custody was killed on his instruction/under his watch. That was why the army authorities dismissed him. So he was dismissed and jailed and later brought back to service after an Appeal Court judgement. The…
MINIMUM WAGE: GOVS WANT REVIEW OF REVENUE ALLOCATION
MINIMUM WAGE: GOVS WANT REVIEW OF REVENUE ALLOCATION At the recent nationwide public hearing on the new national minimum wage held across the six geo-political zones, governors demanded a review of the revenue allocation formula to enable them to implement the proposed national minimum wage. They insisted that the current revenue allocation must be reviewed in favour of states to empower them to meet workers’ expectations. Currently, the Federal Government gets 52.68 per cent; states 26.72 per cent and local governments 20.60 per cent allocation from the federation account. Speaking during the meeting at the southwest zone, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, among others, called for an urgent review of the revenue-sharing formula to favour the state and local governments. Adeleke based his submission on the fact that the majority of the Nigerian people live in the states, so the revenue-sharing formula should be reviewed in tandem with the public outcry for the allocation of more resources to states. He had insisted that the states should be allowed to negotiate with their workers’ pay. “It has to be reiterated that the majority of the government at the sub-national can’t sustain and improve wages and salaries for their workers without a significant adjustment in some of the narratives in the national economy,” he stressed. While the states called for a higher revenue formula, they also urged that they should be allowed to determine their minimum wage based on their financial capacity, Allowing this means amending the 1999 Constitution by moving item 34 of the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List. For emphasis, Nigeria is duty-bound as a signatory to ILO Convention 131 to implement a minimum wage regime in line with global standards. Recall that when the N30,000 minimum wage was passed in 2019, it was a tug of war between organised labour and states on implementing the new wage then. The organised labour had to shut down many states over poor implementation of the minimum wage. To date, statistics released by BudgIT showed that 15 states are yet to implement the full N30,000 minimum wage. While some states still defaulted in paying the N30,000, The Guardian gathered that in Borno State, some teachers earn a paltry N13,500 as salary. Former President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Peter Esele, who recalled when he was part of the national minimum wage negotiation process, said: “How do you expect the productivity of such workers to grow and how do you expect the person to survive in that mental frame of mind and pass knowledge? I hope that governors stand and treat workers right because when you do so, you stimulate the economy. The super-rich don’t stimulate the economy, it is the middle and those struggling because they must spend money.” In 2021, a bill, which sought to decentralise the negotiation on the minimum wage in the country, by removing the negotiation on minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list passed second reading at the House of Representatives. The bill, Differential Wage Bill, had the support of state governors, stating that it negated the principle of true federalism. According to the sponsor, Garba Datti Mohammed (APC Kano), the bill is to allow both the federal and state governments to freely negotiate minimum wage “with their workers in line with our federalism.” The bill seeking to remove the negotiation on minimum wage from the exclusive list to the concurrent list passed the second reading in the House of Representatives. During the debate at the plenary, Mohammed said, “Many states have not been able to implement the national minimum wage because it was imposed on them from Abuja.” However, workers opposed the bill, where they said that the bill was…
GANDUJE, ARCHITECT OF HIS TRAVAILS – SENATOR HANGA
GANDUJE ARCHITECT OF HIS TRAVAILS – SENATOR HANGA Senator Rufai Hanga, representing Kano Central Senatorial District, is one of the leading figures in the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP). In this interview, he spoke on a range of issues affecting public perception of the 10th National Assembly and its leadership. He also bared his mind on the performance of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu so far, saying that “if you hear people castigating him or condemning him, maybe it is hatred.” Excerpts: Considering the controversy that trailed the recent issue of budget padding raised by Senator Abdul Ningi and his subsequent suspension, can you say that the National Assembly is a united institution? The National Assembly is very united. I think it has never been like this. Even the budget was done jointly by the Senate and the House of Representatives and it was hitch-free. The committees sat together and scrutinized together. In Nigeria, whatever you do, people will criticize you. As far as I am concerned, the Senate is very united. The Senate President and the leadership of the House of Representatives are doing well to carry everybody along. The Speaker is uniting the House. Although I have not been around for sometime, but I have not heard of any squabble or quarrel. I think there has never been a more united National Assembly like now. In spite of that, a lot of Nigerians despise the National Assembly because they are outsiders. A lot of comments are being made which are not correct. If there is so much unity as you have presented, what then brought about the issue of Northern Senators and the dust raised by the accusation of budget padding? This issue of budget padding was over-emphasized and over-exaggerated. Even Ningi himself said it several times. He didn’t say there was budget padding. What he observed was that some monies were not accounted for and the Chairman of the Appropriation committee explained that they were meant for the first line charge. For example, any money assigned to the judiciary, we don’t call them to come and explain it like we call other ministries to defend their budgets. Once judiciary makes a request, we discuss it privately and put it in the budget. Apart from the judiciary, there are also other organizations that receive direct first line charge from the budget. I was not around when the whole thing happened, but the information I heard was that immediately the National Assembly punished him (Ningi), he resigned from the leadership of Northern Senators because he felt betrayed. He felt that whatever he did, he did it with the knowledge of Northern Senators. Yet, they left him in the lurch to be punished. Out of that anger and the feeling of betrayal, he resigned as the chairman. After his resignation, the whole Northern Senators came together for the change of leadership. The general impression about the presence of different regional groupings in the Senate is that you people are more concerned with ethnic consideration than the national course. Is that not correct? It is not correct. First, you must appreciate that Northerners, Southerners and South westerners know their regions better than anybody. They meet, discuss, and come up with the right advice on any issue that concerns their regions. For example, in the North, we have irrigation areas. At our caucus meetings, we discuss ideas that can improve the irrigation system. From my experience, there has never been a time when Northern Senators sat down to say that they are not part of Nigeria. I have been in the National Assembly three times. I was in the House of Representatives; there was no Northern Senators’ Forum. I was once in the…
FLEEING EX-KOGI GOV, YAHAYA BELLO, PLANS TO FLEE TO NORTH AFRICA
FLEEING EX-KOGI GOV, YAHAYA BELLO, PLANS TO FLEE TO NORTH AFRICA Fleeing former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has perfected a plan to flee to a North African country, multiple sources confirmed to SaharaReporters on Saturday. SaharaReporters learnt that Bello, 48 years old who is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for over N80 billion fraud, plans to flee to the North African country where one of his wives presently resides and manages their “investments.” A family member further revealed that Bello actually possessed two passports which are of the North African country and one Arab nation where he also allegedly has multi-million dollars investments. “He is planning to go to Morocco. He also has investments in Dubai. Under Bello’s administration, apart from Okene local government and probably two or three local government within his Senatorial district, that enjoy projects like hospital of 50 beds respectively, no other local government does”, the source revealed. “We challenge his media team to point out if in the remaining 16 local governments, there was a single borehole for water, road project or any housing scheme construction work done by Yahaya Bello administration in the last 8 years apart from housing estates constructed by his predecessor and landmark properties. “Kogi State was enslaved under Yahaya Bello due to occultic powers and unreported killings due to fear,” another source added. “Former governor, Yahaya’s administration was a disaster, characterised by mismanagement, stealing, misplacement of priorities, misappropriation, corruption, nepotism, killings and oppression.” “The other option is that Bello is set to travel out of Nigeria as he has prepared for his bail in court with millions of dollars,” another source added. The Nigerian police had detained the female police officer who served as the aide-de-camp to Bello as well as other security details for aiding his escape from the EFCC operatives in Abuja. The ADC was arrested, along with other police officers assigned to 48-year-old Bello, and they are being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Their arrests and incarceration came after the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, issued an order on Thursday night requiring their immediate departure from the former governor. “The ADC and the other police details attached to Yahaya Bello have been arrested and detained. “They were arrested on the order of the IG, on the suspicion that they aided and abetted the former governor’s escape from the EFCC on Wednesday,” one of the sources had said. Another source said, “Yahaya Bello’s female ADC and other police officers attached to him were brought to the command this morning, and they’ve been detained for aiding and abetting (the governor’s escape).” On Thursday night the police withdrew the security details attached to Yahaya Bello. The order for the withdrawal was contained in a Police Wireless Message by the Inspector General of Police. On Wednesday, some EFCC operatives barricaded Bello’s Abuja residence. However, the current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, intervened to prevent the arrest of the former governor of the state by the EFCC operatives. Ododo’s team had escorted Bello out of the location in the governor’s vehicle. Bello was also absent in court earlier on Thursday when the EFCC arraigned him. His arraignment came after a warrant of arrest and enrolment order was granted to the EFCC by the court on Wednesday. Subsequently, the agency declared Bello wanted for an alleged financial crime to the tune of N80.2billion. The commission said in a bulletin that “anybody with information as to his whereabout should report immediately to the Commission or the nearest police station.” The EFCC had asked all security agencies to place Bello on their watch list to prevent him from leaving the country “through any land,…