Alleged Freezing of Kogi Account, a Joke Taken Too Far, Says Governor
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State yesterday declared that he is not aware that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has placed any embargo on any of the state’s salary accounts.
Bello, who described the alleged accounts’ freezing as a joke taken too far, also advised EFCC not to allow itself to be led on a journey of no discovery, adding that there is no N20 billion kept in any fixed deposit account in the state.
A Lagos High Court had last week granted an ex-parte application for the EFCC, ordering the freezing of an account allegedly housing around N20 billion, said to be Kogi State’s salary bailout account.
Speaking to newsmen after a close-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, the governor emphasised that no Kogi state governments salary account is frozen.
“None whatsoever. None of our accounts frozen or embargo placed on any of our accounts by EFCC at all. 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”.
He stressed that his administration expended the bailout received for the state, according to the agreement reached with workers in the state.
According to him, Kogi was among the first to publish all its account activities for the public to see, including all the details and the documents generated from the activities, challenging
Nigerians to demand details of the utilisation of the said fund from other governors, just as he had done.
He said: “The bailout fund that we obtained, we appropriated in line with the agreement and understanding between Kogi state government and the workers. All of these were done, we finished all of these in the year 2019. So first, there’s no N20 billion account, or N19 billion era, no fixed deposit account.