The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, failed to arraign former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello in Court.
ADULAWO News reports the arraignment of the former Governor before a Federal High Court in Abuja stalled due to his absence in court.
The EFCC stated that they faced obstacles while attempting to serve the charges to the former governor at his home yesterday, mentioning that he is currently under the protection of an individual who is shielded by immunity.
The defendant’s lawyer said there is an exparte order restraining EFCC from arresting and prosecuting the former Governor, which EFCC appealed against at the Court of Appeal.
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The EFCC had planned to arraign Bello, alongside three other suspects, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency is accusing them of a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80, 246,470, 088.88 (Eighty Billion, Two Hundred and Forty-Six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand and Eight Nine Naira, Eighty Eight Kobo).
The case of alleged fraud is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/98/2024 and was filed on March 6, 2024, by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Kemi Pinheiro.
It would be recalled that the EFCC, on Wednesday, stormed the Abuja residence of Bello and laid siege to it in a bid to arrest the former Kogi Governor.
The anti-graft agency later said it had secured a warrant of arrest for Yahaya Bello.
However, another High Court in Lokoja restrained the EFCC from arresting, detaining and prosecuting Bello except as authorised by the court.
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The Abuja Court on Thursday, decided to postpone the ruling on the charge delivery to Yahaya Bello and his court appearance until the 23rd of May.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has vowed to arrest the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, and bring him before the Federal High Court Abuja for arraignment to answer to the charges preferred against him.
This came on the heels of Bello’s counsel, Abdulwahab Muhammed, SAN, refusing to be served in the place of his client who is on the run from the EFCC.
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The anti-graft agency, while addressing a Federal High Court, Abuja on Thursday through its team of lawyers led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, stressed that operatives would execute the arrest warrant against the former governor even if it has to be done by the use of force.
He said, “We have to arraign him in court even if we have to use the military. Immunity is only attached to a person and not the building.
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“The law allows to break down walls to arrest an evading defendant. Section 284 says all persons are to obey the service of charge.”
Details later…