Policemen attached to the Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo stopped personnel from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting former governor, Yahaya Bello.
EFCC operatives on Wednesday barricaded Bello’s house in Wuse, Abuja.
Ododo visited the embattled former Kogi governor later in the afternoon with a retinue of security operatives amid the siege on the latter’s Abuja residence.
EFCC sources told SaharaReporters that policemen attached to Governor Ododo prevented the EFCC personnel from arresting the former governor.
According to the sources, there would have been a bloody clash if they had gone head-to-head with the policemen.
“The Inspector General of Police reportedly gave Yahaya Bello more reinforcement through Governor Ododo to thwart his arrest.
“But we’re trying to avoid a bloody clash,” one of the sources said.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the EFCC was able to track Bello to Abuja by outsmarting him.
It was learnt that Bello deliberately left his mobile phone at the Government House in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital to avoid being tracked to Abuja not knowing that EFCC operatives were already tracking the mobile phone of his aide which he used.
Through his aide’s mobile phone, the former governor was tracked to where he was holed up in Abuja.
“Yahaya Bello left his phone at the Government House in Kogi to avoid being tracked to Abuja.
“But the mobile phone of his aide which he used was already being tracked to where he’s now trapped in Abuja,” a top security source told SaharaReporters.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that EFCC operatives on Wednesday barricaded Bello’s house in Wuse, Abuja.
The EFCC siege came days after the former governor met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that there was no movement in and around the house located at Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4 in the nation’s capital.
On Wednesday, a top source shared a photograph showing how EFCC operatives had barricaded the access road to Bello’s house.
The source said: “EFCC barricades Bello’s house in Abuja. No movement in the area as EFCC barricaded the house. They are yet to gain access.”
Although there was no immediate information available as to the reason why the anti-graft agency stormed the former governor’s residence, the anti-graft agency had filed fraud charges against him.
The EFCC had charged the former governor with financial fraud to the tune of N84 billion.
The EFCC in an amended charge accused Bello of diverting N80 billion of state funds in September 2015, four months before he assumed office.
Bello assumed office as governor in January 2016.