Wednesday, November 27, 2024 -Justice Maryann Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Maitama, FCT, ordered the remand of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC till December 10 when the court will rule on his application for bail.
Equally remanded in custody were Bello’s two co-defendants, Umar Oricha
and Abdulsalami Hudu. Bello and two others were arraigned before the court this
morning on a 16-count charge filed against them by the EFCC. They pleaded not
guilty to the charges.
During the court proceeding, EFCC had specifically urged the court to
deny the former governor bail.
The agency, through its team of lawyers led by Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN,
told the court that Bello, who is the 1st defendant in the matter, repeatedly
refused to make himself available for trial. The agency told the court that
several efforts to secure his presence before the Abuja Division of the Federal
High Court, where he is facing another charge, proved abortive.
Consequently, the Commission opposed a bail application that Bello filed
through his legal team that was led by a former President of the Nigerian Bar
Association, NBA, Joseph Daudu, SAN.
Daudu, SAN, had after the former governor and his two co-defendants—Umar
Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu—pleaded not guilty to a 16-count charge the
anti-graft agency preferred against them, drew the attention of the court to a
bail application his client filed on November 22. In the application he
predicated on six grounds, the former governor argued that he enjoys the
presumption of innocence under the law.
Insisting that he ought to be seen to be innocent of all the allegations
the EFCC levelled against him until his guilt is established, Bello contended
that granting him bail would enable him to effectively prepare his defence to
the charge. His lawyer told the court that his client was only served with a
copy of the charge against him around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26.
He said the former governor’s presence in court was in obedience to the
summons that was issued to him. More so, Bello’s lawyer urged the court not to
be swayed by EFCC’s claims with regards to a matter not related to the instant
charge before it.
The prosecution counsel had informed the court that some of the
witnesses billed to testify in the matter were available. He, therefore,
prayed the court to allow the EFCC to open its case immediately, an application
that was opposed by the defence counsel.
Besides, EFCC argued that Bello’s bail application was incompetent since
it was filed before the defendants were arraigned before the court.
Ex-governor Bello and his co-defendants are facing trial over their
alleged complicity in a N110 billion fraud.
The charge against the defendants, marked CR/7781, borders on
conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and possession of unlawfully obtained
property.
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