The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has returned to X after a two-week absence, only to face backlash over its failure to arrest Yahaya Bello, the former Kogi State Governor.

EQ broke news of the EFCC handle’s disappearance from the microblogging platform on August 13. The commission said its information and technology team would fix it shortly but it took over two weeks before X reinstated the account.

The EFCC announced its return with a sentence: There are some birds you can not keep down.

There are some birds you can not keep down. #EFCCNigeria#TogetherAgainstCorruption#TowardsABetterNigeria pic.twitter.com/tEvIModZGt— EFCC Nigeria (@officialEFCC) August 29, 2024

“There are some birds that can not fly to Kogi State,” @Nwafresh responded to the EFCC. This post received 80,000 views and 5,000 likes.

READ MORE: UPDATED: EFCC Disappears From X

Many Nigerians followed, questioning why high-profile figures like Bello have not been held accountable for corruption despite serious charges against them.

User @ChrissKelechi remarked, “I’ve searched online and still haven’t seen Yahaya Bello, El Rufai, Ganduje (even with video evidence), or Obiano. Is it only Nigerian youth you target?”, echoing the sentiment that the EFCC only targets less influential individuals. Queen Bee, whose post has garnered over a thousand likes, emphasised that Nigerians will not take the EFCC seriously unless Bello is apprehended.

Some users even drew examples from previous high-profile corruption cases of former Nigerian governors.

X user @Atetemente, for instance, recalled past high-profile cases that the EFCC failed to prosecute. He stated that despite accusations by former EFCC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu, these figures still rose to prominent political roles.

READ ALSO: Who Failed to Arrest Yahaya Bello? High Court or EFCC?

User @okputuJ_Agba, even likened the situation to “scavenging birds taking from small rogues and giving to bigger rogues”.

The backlash is tied directly to Bello’s ongoing N84 billion money laundering case. Despite these serious charges, the former governor remains untouched by law enforcement.

On March 14, the EFCC charged Bello, his nephew Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu with money laundering and misappropriation of N84 billion. The charges, presented before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, were amended to reflect the scale of the transactions involved.

READ ALSO: FACT-CHECK: Did EFCC Donate N50bn to NELFUND as Claimed?

The case also involves a N950 million property purchase the EFCC says Bello funded through illicit means. Bello and Hudu are still at large, while Ali and Suleiman have pleaded not guilty in court. Ola Olukoyede, the EFCC chairman, had even promised in April to resign if he failed to see Bello’s trial to the very end.

Olukoyede made this promise after a dramatic raid on Bello’s residence in Abuja. Four months later, the former governor is still at large. The case itself has been complicated by conflicting court orders and legal manoeuvres.

A Lokoja high court issued an injunction restraining the EFCC from arresting or prosecuting Bello. The agency, on the other hand, obtained an arrest warrant from the Federal High Court in Abuja. But Bello has missed multiple court sessions and remains free, despite the legislative controversy.

Bello’s trial would resume on September 25.
The post ‘Some Birds Can’t Fly to Kogi’, Nigerians Knock EFCC on X Return appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.