Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to serve the charge against Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, to his lawyer, Abdulwahab Mohamed.
Bello was not present in court for his arraignment on a 19-count charge of alleged money laundering amounting to ₦84bn. The judge referred to section 384 (4 and 5) of the Administrative and Criminal Justice Act 2015, which allows for substituted means of service when personal service is not possible.
Justice Nwite emphasized that the former governor failed to appear in court, and despite initial resistance from Bello’s lawyer, Mohamed, he was compelled to accept the charges and proof of evidence.
The judge rejected the request for a junior lawyer to accept the charges on behalf of Bello. Last week, Justice Nwite issued a bench warrant against Bello after an application from the EFCC, who subsequently declared him wanted for consistently evading the criminal charges and court appearances.
