April 23 set for court ruling on Yahaya Bello’s substituted service

The Abuja Federal High Court has scheduled April 23 as the date for the ruling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) application for a substituted service of the charges against the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

Justice Emeka Nwite set this date after hearing arguments from both the EFCC’s counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, and the ex-governor’s lawyer, Abdulwahab Mohammed, SAN, regarding the oral application.

During the proceedings for Bello’s arraignment on a 19-count money laundering charge, the former governor was absent from the court, although his legal team, led by Adeola Adedipe, SAN, was present.

Read Also: N84bn fraud case put on hold as Yahaya Bello fails to appear for arraignment

Mohammed, representing Bello, contested the charge’s validity, citing the court’s lack of jurisdiction to handle the case and issue an arrest warrant against his client. He mentioned that a preliminary objection had been filed to this effect.

The lawyer argued for the arrest warrant to be vacated, pointing out that a Kogi State High Court had previously restrained the EFCC from arresting or prosecuting Bello based on a fundamental rights suit filed by the former governor.

Mohammed highlighted that the EFCC had challenged this order at the Court of Appeal, emphasizing that addressing the issue of jurisdiction was crucial before proceeding with the charges in light of the pending appeal.