Ahmad 
Nigerian investigative journalist Jackson Odey has claimed that the Minister of Defense, Muhammad Bello Matawalle, facilitated the escape of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, who is accused of looting public funds, to Niger.
According to Odey’s post on his ‘X’ account, Bello, who is facing charges by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja, has repeatedly evaded arrest and prosecution.
Odey alleged that Matawalle, a close ally of Bello, mobilized eight military personnel to escort the former governor to Niger, with the convoy using two dark-colored Hilux trucks and a Land Cruiser to transport Bello through the border town of Lela.
Odey explained that former Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was also involved in the alleged escape plot.
On July 9, the Nigerian Financial Crimes Commission warned of the possible escape of Yahaya Bello, wanted on 19 charges, to Libya or another North African country, and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) was alerted in this regard.
According to the Nigerian magazine “The Street Journal”, Bello is on the watch list of several other countries, including Libya, Egypt and Sudan, in addition to Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.
Authorities accuse Bello of embezzling 80 billion local currency (about 500 million dollars), making him a fugitive from the law after he failed to appear in court.
It is worth noting that Bello fled in March this year with the help of his successor in office, Usman Ododo, after security forces surrounded his house in Abuja.
Since then, all efforts to bring him to justice have failed, and calls continue from a large number of Nigerians to hold him accountable for involvement in major financial corruption while in office.
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