BY MUYIWA OYINLOLA
One very interesting case of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in recent time is the one it has against Yahaya Bello, the immediate past Kogi State governor.
A number of issues make it interesting but three of them stand out.
One is the way and manner operatives of the commission attempted to arrest him in April at the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja. They met a resistance by security operatives at the governor’s lodge, and could make arrest.
The second interesting part was when in September, he honoured the invitation of the Commission at its Abuja headquarters but was neither arrested nor detained.
The third issue was the turn of events in the night of the same day when operatives of the commission attempted to arrest the same person that had earlier presented himself but allowed to go free.
He however, again presented himself to honour the commission’s invitation on 26th November,
following the previous hearing of November 14, where the EFCC had sought for adjournment of his case till November 27. He was arrested and detained by the commission, and his trial commenced in the court of law on Friday, November 29.
Bello’s eventual arraignment before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court, Abuja, was however, stalled due to the absence of his lawyers in court.
The court thus adjourned the ruling on the bail application for Bello and two others to December 10.
The Commission charged Bello with 16 counts, and he pleaded not guilty.
Alongside Bello, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu are facing prosecution as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants, respectively, in the EFCC‘s N80 billion fraud case.
During the proceedings, Bello, the primary defendant, firmly denied the allegations when they were presented before Justice Maryanne Anenih.
Following the defendants’ pleas, their counsel, Joseph Daudu, requested bail. However, Kemi Pinheiro, the EFCC’s counsel, opposed the application, claiming that it had expired in October.
The Defendant’s Counsel emphasised that the sole relevant application before the Court was the petition for bail in relation of the first defendant, filed on November 22.
Relying on all the paragraphs of the affidavit, he said that the bail application was also backed with a written address.
The quest of the commission to arraingn Bello even in the absence of lawyers in court calls to mind the it’s previous efforts to arraingn him in absentia.
It could be recalled that the EFCC, on Wednesday October 30, 2024 asked Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, to proceed with the trial of Bello in absentia, arguing that his non-appearance in court for arraignment should not be allowed to frustrate his trial.
The EFCC through its lead counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, also urged the court to enter a plea of “not guilty” on behalf of Bello.
Bello had been relying on the appeals he filed at the Supreme Court against the order of the Court of Appeal directing him to appear for arraignment and against the warrant of arrest issued against him.
Now that Bello is in court and he’s case billed to come up on next week, as scheduled, it is expected that all the previous drama and media trial has come to an end, as court trial would resume.
According to the law of the land, Bello remains innocent until his case is proven otherwise.
It is now time for the EFCC to prove it’s case against the former governor in court. Bello should also be prepared to defend himself against the allegations.
The media trial and other dramas surrounding his invitation, arrest and arraingment have ended and Nigerians are waiting to see how the judiciary will handle the case.
The judiciary however, appears to have started on a good note with Justice Nwite adjourning the case to allow Bello’s lawyers present in court before going ahead with it.
