.Drags EFCC to Supreme Court over arrest warrant
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello did not appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday for his arraignment over money laundering allegation to the tune of over N80 billion.
He has however dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to the Supreme Court for declaring him wanted.
Bello is facing a 19-count charge, the anti-graft agency preferred against him, following his alleged complicity in money laundering.
He was billed to appear before the Court in Abuja yesterday for his arraignment but did not show up.
EFCC had recently declared Bello wanted for failing to appear before it on offences relating to economic and financial crime.
The declaration of arrest was contained in a notice posted on the commission’s official Facebook page.
The notice read, “The public is hereby notified that Yahaya Adoza Bello (former Governor of Kogi State), whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in connection with alleged case of Money Laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88
“Bello, a 48-year-old Ebira man, is a native of Okenne Local Government of Kogi State.
“His last known address is: 9, Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.”
The notice asked anybody with useful information about the former governor’s whereabouts to contact any of the commission’s offices across the country.”
Although, the ex-governor along side his successor in office, Usman Ododo had appeared at EFCC’s office headquarters on September 18, the anti-graft agency still declared him wanted.
The argument by the EFCC was that Bello’s appearance at its office did not follow protocols going by the grandeur with which he appeared.
However, when the matter was called on Wednesday, the team of lawyers representing the former governor, led by Mr. A. M. Adoyi, drew the attention of trial Justice Emeka Nwite to the pendency of the appeal before the apex court, stressing that the affidavit of record was filed on September 23.
Adoyi said the appeal is seeking to set-aside the arrest warrant that was issued against his client on April 17.
Consequently, he urged the trial court to suspend the planned arraignment to await the outcome of the appeal before the Supreme Court.
“My Lord, the appeal number is SC/CR/847/2024 and SC/CR/848/2024. We believe that the most appropriate thing to do is to await the decision of the Supreme Court in the aforesaid appeals, before taking any step for arraignment so as not to render the appellant’s appeal null or to pull the rug out of the feet of the Supreme Court,” the defence lawyer pleaded.
However, counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, urged the court to recommend Bello’s lawyer to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for sanction, accusing him of helping his client to ridicule the integrity of the judiciary.
He noted that the lawyer was part of Bello’s defence team when the court held that it would no longer entertain any application from the defendant until he made himself available for trial.
“My Lord, what counsel to the defendant has demonstrated before this court is nothing but the audacity of irresponsibility.
“I urge this court to impose its coercive powers to let him know that the court is not a place for entertainment,” he submitted.
In addition, the prosecution counsel noted that rather than presenting himself for trial, the erstwhile governor claimed he went to EFCC’s office.
“What is worrisome is that the defendant, by his own admission, went to EFCC’s car park holding the hands of a person with immunity, who came with full compliment of all the paraphernalia and security of his office.
“The implication is that if there was an attempt to extricate him from the person with immunity, there would have been an altercation and an invitation to anarchy.
“By their own admission too, an invitation that was sent later in the day for him to come alone was resisted,” EFCC’s lawyer added.
After he had listened to both sides, Justice Nwite adjourned the matter till October 30 for ruling.
