Yahaya Bello Expresses Willingness to Appear in Court, Yet…

Yahaya Bello, the ex-governor of Kogi, has stated that his reason for not attending a federal high court hearing in Abuja is his concern about being apprehended by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 charges, including money laundering, breach of trust, and embezzlement of funds amounting to N80.2 billion.

Despite the initial plan for the arraignment to take place on April 18, Bello was absent from court on that day. During the subsequent court session, Adeola Adedipe, a member of Bello’s legal team, explained that his client would have appeared in court but was apprehensive about being taken into custody.

Adedipe requested the court to revoke the arrest warrant issued on April 17 against the former governor, arguing that the charges had not been properly served to Bello at the time the warrant was issued.

Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi, has stated that his decision not to appear before a federal high court in Abuja is rooted in his apprehension of being arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC is seeking to prosecute Bello on 19 charges related to money laundering, breach of trust, and embezzlement amounting to N80.2 billion.

Despite the initial arraignment date set for April 18, Bello was conspicuously absent from court on that day.

During the subsequent court hearing, Adeola Adedipe, a member of Bello’s legal team, explained that his client was willing to attend court proceedings but was concerned about being detained.

Adedipe requested the court revoke the arrest warrant issued against the former governor on April 17, arguing that the charges had not been properly served on Bello as required by law at the time the warrant was issued.

The EFCC’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro, contended that for the arrest warrant to be lifted, Bello must be arraigned and enter his plea.

The presiding judge, Emeka Nwite, had previously ordered that the charges be served to the defendant through his legal representatives by substituted means.

The court has scheduled May 10 as the date for a decision on the application to nullify the arrest warrant.