BREAKING: Apprehension as Judge Insists Yahaya Bello Must Appear in Court, Defend N80bn Fraud
- The recent action by the embattled former governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, has backfired against him
- This is as the court on Friday insisted that the former governor must be present in court for his trial
- Federal High Court, Abuja division, on Friday, May 10, granted the EFCC’s request to arrest Bello, the judge held that even if an arrest warrant was illegally obtained, he should have appeared in court
TheTalk.NG journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
On Friday, May 10, the Federal High Court, Abuja division, granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s application for the former Governor of Kogi, Yahaya Bello, to appear in court for his trial.
Judge insists Yahaya Bello must defend himself in court regarding the EFCC’s case against him (alleged N80bn fraud).
Photo credit: Alhaji Yahaya BelloSource: Facebook
Judge insists Yahaya Bello should appear in court
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling, held that the former governor ought to appear before the court before making any application.
As reported by The Nation, he insisted that even if the arrest warrant was illegally obtained, the defendant (Bello) should have still shown up in court.
Recall that on April 23, the court ordered the EFCC to serve the former governor with the money laundering charges against him through his lawyer.
Yahaya Bello vs EFCC: Friday’s court verdict
In a ruling on Friday, Nwite reiterated that an applicant or defendant who willfully disobeys the orders of a court of competent jurisdiction is not entitled to be heard by the court.
As reported by ThisDay, the judge, while remarking that even if his orders were issued in error, “the humble thing for him to do is to make himself available in court”.
The trial Judge held that since Bello has continued to disobey court orders, he would not be allowed to file any application or be heard, The Nigerian Tribune reported.
EFCC lays siege at ex-governor Bello’s house
TheTalk.NG earlier reported that the EFCC laid a siege at the Abuja home of the former Kogi governor.
Yahaya Bello’s residence on Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, in Abuja, was captured in a video bombarded with the officers of the anti-graft agency.
Source: TheTalk.NG
