In a significant legal development, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the authority to apprehend the erstwhile governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, ahead of his scheduled arraignment on Thursday.
Justice Emeka Nwite issued this pivotal order in response to an ex parte motion filed by the EFCC Counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Rotimi Oyedepo, on April 17, 2024.
Furthermore, Justice Nwite mandated the former governor’s appearance before the court on Thursday, April 18, for the formal arraignment process.
Previously, a Lokoja High Court had issued an injunction barring the EFCC from taking any action against the former governor.
However, defying these legal constraints, the EFCC is set to bring Yahaya Bello before the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 18, 2024, to face a battery of charges.
Accompanied by three other suspects – Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu – Bello is confronted with a formidable 19-count indictment, predominantly centered on allegations of money laundering amounting to a staggering sum of Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand and Eight Nine Naira, Eighty Eight Kobo.
In response to the EFCC’s efforts to execute the arrest warrant, the agency encountered vehement opposition on April 17, 2024.
A security perimeter enveloping Bello’s residence in Abuja was breached, facilitated by the incumbent Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, who facilitated Bello’s departure in his official vehicle.
Despite this brazen interference, the EFCC exhibited judicious restraint, choosing to defer to the legal process and await Bello’s scheduled arraignment on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
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