The former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has asked the Supreme Court to quash the judgment of the Appeal Court that ordered him to present himself before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, for arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This was disclosed to Justice Nwite on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, by Bello’s lawyer, A.M. Adoyi, during the scheduled arraignment.
Bello faces alleged money laundering charges and is accused of conspiring to unlawfully convert N80,246,470,088.88—an allegation he has denied in a press statement.
What Transpired in Court
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Bello was not in court.
Adoyi informed the court that the defense team has appealed to the Supreme Court in a bid to quash the arrest warrant issued by the trial court on April 17, which was upheld by the Appeal Court.
“The appeal numbers are SC/CR/847/2024 and SC/CR/848/2024. This means the most appropriate action is to await the decision of the Supreme Court on these appeals before proceeding with arraignment, so as not to render the appellant’s appeal null or undermine the Supreme Court,” Adoyi said.
In response, EFCC lawyer Kemi Piniero, SAN, said that notwithstanding the orders of the trial court and Appeal Court regarding the arraignment, Adoyi was attempting to disregard the court by filing an application to set aside the warrant of arrest issued on April 17, 2024.
Piniero insisted that regardless of Bello’s appeal at the Supreme Court, the rules of court state that nothing can stall a criminal matter like money laundering.
Piniero asked the court to overrule Adoyi’s submission and sanction the lawyer for not producing Bello in court.
Reacting, Adoyi stressed that he had not undermined the trial court’s authority and pointed out that the issue of arraignment is subject to an appeal at the Supreme Court.
He urged the judge to await the Supreme Court’s decision, adding that there is also an application for a stay of proceedings pending before the Supreme Court.
After hearing from the lawyers, Justice Nwite scheduled October 30, 2024, for a ruling, arraignment, and/or trial.
What You Should Know
Recall that the Federal High Court in Abuja had refused to suspend the fraud case against the former governor. This followed several proceedings in which the ex-governor was absent due to legal disputes raised by his legal team.
The anti-graft agency also obtained a bench warrant from the Federal High Court in Abuja against the former governor due to his non-appearance.
Ohiare Michael, Director of Yahaya Bello’s media office, stated that Bello reportedly visited the EFCC office amid the case against him. The EFCC website did not confirm whether the former governor visited its facility but emphasized that “the Commission wishes to state that Bello is not in its custody.”
At today’s proceedings, the EFCC lawyer confirmed that Bello came to the EFCC office in the company of Governor Usman Ododo, adding that the court never directed him to report to the Commission for arraignment.
Bello’s legal team filed an appeal, but the trial court maintained that the criminal case must continue in accordance with court rules.
However, separate sittings of the Appeal Court stayed the execution of all proceedings in the suits filed at the Kogi State High Court by Bello and ordered him to stand trial at the Abuja High Court.
The appellate court judgment has been appealed and is awaiting a final verdict.
