According to The Nation, the antigraft organization made its conclusion on the basis of reliable intelligence. Numerous possibilities, including but not limited to assaulting the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja, where the former governor is rumored to be hiding, are on the table for handling the Bello crisis, according to agency sources.

The watch list was started in advance of the former governor’s scheduled appearance before an Abuja Federal High Court on July 17. Bello is accused of money laundering, breach of trust, and misuse of approximately N80.2 billion in public monies, all under 19 counts.

The former governor has frequently neglected to show up for his June 13 and June 27 court appearances, despite his denial of the accusation. Justice Emeka Nwite is the trial judge.

He submitted an application to move his trial to the Federal High Court in Lokoja during the most recent hearing.

The EFCC has taken a number of actions in advance of the case’s upcoming hearing, one of which is putting Bello on a watch list in North Africa. A mishandled departure to Morocco through Cameroon is known to us. Our goal is to prevent him from being sent into exile. The executive chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, traveled to Tunisia from Singapore to present a paper at a session on illicit money flows.

Following that, he met with all of the North African INTERPOL Chiefs to discuss the intelligence regarding the former governor. He formally requested—and was granted—that Bello be placed under Red Alert throughout the nations of North Africa by INTERPOL. The watch-list is now in effect right now. Anywhere in North Africa, he will be taken into custody. We are suspicious that he has been bidding time so that he would not be ready for arraignment, which is why we took this action. Bello is expected in court to establish his innocence. To avoid unfavorable precedent, the EFCC must do out its duties.