The former Governor of Kogi State has been enlisted by INTERPOL at the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Sources within the anti-graft agency have requested that the governor be watchlisted in three North African countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, and Sudan.

The source told The Nations that the agency is exploring various strategies to address the situation, including the possibility of storming the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja, where Bello is believed to be hiding.

The watchlist will be activated if Bello elopes before his scheduled court appearance on July 17th before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Bello faces a 19-count charge, including allegations of money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to about N80.2 billion.

Despite denying the allegations, he has repeatedly failed to appear before Justice Emeka Nwite on scheduled dates in June.

An EFCC source stated, “Ahead of the next hearing of the case, EFCC has activated many options, including taking concrete action to watch-list Bello in North Africa. We are aware of a botched exit to Morocco via Cameroon and are determined to prevent him from fleeing into exile.”

The EFCC’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, was recently in Tunisia, where he met with Heads of INTERPOL in North Africa to request Bello’s placement on a Red Alert. The request was accepted, and the watchlisting took immediate effect.

“We took this step because we suspect that Bello has been biding his time to avoid arraignment. We expect him to appear in court to prove his innocence. The EFCC must do its job to prevent setting a bad precedent,” the source added.