The fraud case against former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello took a dramatic turn on Wednesday as two senior advocates engaged in a heated exchange during court proceedings. The confrontation involved Abdulwahab Mohammed (SAN), representing Bello, and Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), representing the federal government.
The dispute began when Mohammed announced his appearance for Bello but omitted his colleague, Adeola Adedipe (SAN). The federal government’s counsel objected, arguing that Adedipe should be included in the proceedings until formally discharged by the court.
Adedipe interrupted, asserting that he was not prepared to participate in the proceedings. Mohammed then clarified that Adedipe had filed a notice of withdrawal from the case.
As Justice Emeka Nwite was about to rule on the matter of Adedipe’s appearance, Mohammed requested to be excused from the proceedings if the court decided to proceed with the ruling. In a moment of anger, Mohammed labeled Pinheiro a “rough lawyer” who misleads the court. Attempts to further disparage the federal government’s lawyer were halted, but Mohammed refused to apologize and threatened to leave the court if the judge proceeded with the ruling.
With tensions escalating, Justice Emeka Nwite abruptly ended the proceedings and retreated to his chambers. The courtroom remained tense at the time of this report.
