The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has formally served the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, with a copy of the charge sheet for alleged fraud amounting to ₦84 billion.
This action came after Yahaya Bello failed to appear in court, following an order by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to reports, the charges against Bello, served through his legal counsel, Abdulwahab Mohamed, include 19 counts of alleged money laundering totaling ₦84 billion.
In compliance with section 384 (4 and 5) of the Administrative and Criminal Justice Act 2015, Justice Nwite directed Bello’s lawyer to receive a copy of the charge on his behalf, as personal service of a legal process on a defendant was not possible. The judge noted that Bello’s absence in court for his arraignment was evident.
Despite initially refusing to accept the charges and proof of evidence, Bello’s lawyer, Abdulwahab Mohamed, was ultimately compelled to do so by Justice Nwite.
A member of Bello’s legal team, Adedayo Adedipe, informed the court that his client was willing to appear but had concerns about receiving a fair trial. Adedipe emphasized that Bello was prepared to address the 19-count charge from the EFCC in court.
He appealed to the court to revoke the ex-parte arrest order issued against the former governor, stating that his client had not been served with the charges at the time the arrest order was issued.
