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Court of Appeal refuse to hear EFCC’s suit against order restraining Yahaya Bello’s arrest
The former governor is to be charged on 19 counts by the EFCC, which centre on allegations of money laundering, breach of trust, and embezzlement of N80.2 billion in funds.
The appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against a Kogi High Court ruling prohibiting the anti-graft agency from detaining Yahaya Bello, the immediate past governor, was not heard by the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, on April 17, the Kogi court issued a ruling that barred the EFCC from taking Bello into custody and initiating legal action against him.
In a two-hour ruling handed down in suit no. HCL/68/M/2020 on Wednesday in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, the judge, I.A. Jamil, issued the order.
The ruling came just after EFCC agents “siege” Bello’s Abuja home in an attempt to apprehend him.
The former governor is to be charged on 19 counts by the EFCC, which centre on allegations of money laundering, breach of trust, and embezzlement of N80.2 billion in funds.
On the same day, the anti-graft agency went to the Federal High Court in Abuja to request an arrest warrant in an effort to force Bello to appear in court for his purported offence.
After the EFCC filed an ex parte motion, the warrant was issued. Justice Emeka Nwite ordered the former governor to appear before him on Thursday, April 18, for arraignment, in addition to ruling on the motion.
He said, “It is hereby ordered as follows:
That an order of this honourable court is hereby made directing and/or issuing a warrant for the immediate arrest of the defendant to bring him before this honourable court for arraignment.
“That case is adjourned until April 18 for arraignment.”
