• EFCC insists on court appearance
• Court adjourns till Oct 30 as ex-gov heads to Supreme Court 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed fresh 16-count charges bordering on fraud against the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, before an FCT High Court.

The charges, which were filed by the Federal Government through counsels for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, Rotimi Oyedepo both Senior Advocate of Nigeria and seven other lawyers, also joined one Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalam Hudu as defendants.

The fresh charges were coming on the heels of the former governor’s absence at a Federal High Court, Abuja where he was being tried for alleged charges to the tune of N80.2bn when he held sway in the state. In a fresh charge sheet sighted last night, the anti-graft agency revealed that it had uncovered alleged fresh fraud against the former governor to the tune of N110,446,470,089.00.

This is as the EFCC insisted that the former governor must have his day in court to answer to the 18 counts bordering on money laundering preferred against him. The Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, adjourned the money laundering case against Bello till October 30, 2024.

EFCC said, within the year, it had arraigned two ex-governors, three former ministers, many top government officials, captains of industry and Internet fraudsters, adding that Bello’s case would not be different.

It noted that every suspect being investigated by the commission would soon be charged to court. According to the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, disclosed that the commission was not unaware that corruption fights back, adding: “Bello must have his day in court, no matter the recourse to blackmail, appeal to emotive public sympathy or act of brigandage.”

Reacting, the embattled former governor said the anti-graft agency was desperate to execute a hatchet job for unknown interests. In a statement, Bello’s spokesman, Ohiare Michael, said: “It seems the only task before the EFCC is to execute a desperate hatchet job of destroying the former governor’s reputation and defaming him for no justifiable reason. But the EFCC must enlighten itself on the fact that Bello remains innocent of the trumped-up charges against him until proven guilty by a competent court of jurisdiction.

“Bello will fight to the end on the lane of constitutionality and will not succumb to the baits and traps of an agency that has shown bias, contempt and a clear attempt on his life. We want to put it on record again that Bello is a respecter of the rule of law. He had, only all along sought the enforcement of his fundamental human rights like any other citizen is entitled to.

“On the other hand, the EFCC, despite being a creation of the law, has demonstrated gross disrespect for the rule of law. This is evident in the agency’s bullying, oppressive and reprehensible tactics of disregarding valid orders in cases relating to perceived enemies of their “sponsors or paymasters” and choosing to obey orders when they concern those in the good books of their godfathers.

“In this case, the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has shown clearly that he is either fighting a personal battle for reasons he must explain sooner than later or striving so hard to keep the trust of certain enemies of Bello, who might have given him an assignment that he must execute at all costs.

“To set the records straight, the Court of Appeal only vacated that order a few weeks ago, which prompted our principal to present himself at the EFCC headquarters on September 18, even while still pursuing the enforcement of his fundamental human rights. If the EFCC was truly interested in prosecution and not a deal by some unknown persons to humiliate the former governor and probably harm him for political reasons, would the agency not have taken him in on that day with a view to arraigning him in court on the next adjourned date? Why turn a money laundering allegation into an embarrassment for the whole country ostensibly to massage the ego of some collaborators?”

THE adjournment by Justice Nwite came as Bello moved to the Supreme Court to file an appeal seeking to set aside the arrest warrant on him issued by the trial court on April 17.

When the matter came up for hearing, yesterday, the defence counsel, A.M. Adoyi, drew the court’s attention to the fact that the arraignment of the defendant was the subject matter of an appeal already entered by him at the Supreme Court.

“The appeal number is SC/CR/847/2024 and SC/CR/848/2024. That means the most appropriate thing to do is to await the decision of the Supreme Court in the aforesaid appeal before taking any step for arraignment, so as not to render the appellant’s appeal null or to pull the rug off the feet of the Supreme Court,” the defence counsel said. Counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), however, told the court that the defence counsel was turning the court into a place for entertainment.