Court remand ex-Kogi govnor over 110 billion naira corruption charge
Former Govnor of Kogi state for Nigeria Yahaya Bello don dey remand for di custody of di Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Dis na afta e plead not guilty to a 110.4 billion naira corruption charge wey di anti-corruption agency sama am.
Justice Maryanne Anenih adjourn di matter to December 10, 2024 for ruling on bail application.
Small drama bin happen for court on Wednesday wen di case bin wan start. Plenty supporters of Yahaya Bello bin full inside court, including tori pipo and lawyers.
As Justice Anenih enta see how di courtroom dey choked wit pipo, she say she no go commence trial until di courtroom don dey decongested.
She den comot for court to give di court officials and security pipo time to clear di courtroom.
She later return about 20 minutes later and di matter start proper.
One court official read out di sixteen-count charges one by one to Bello and im two co-defendants - Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and dem plead not guilty.
Joseph Daudu, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and leader of Bello defence team, tell di court say dem wan move motion for bail for dia clients, but Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) wey dey in charge of di prosecution team, oppose di application, as e tok say e don expire since October.
Pinheiro tok say dem dey ready for trial and dem come court wit dia witnesses, but Daudu tell di court di EFCC formally serve dem di charge sheet one day ago and im go need time to prepare im clients.
Afta arguments for and against granting bail to di accused pesins, Justice Anenih fix Decemba 10 to rule on di matter, but until den, di three defendants go remain for EFCC custody.
Yahaya Bello finally show for court on Wednesday after several months of no show, to answer to di corruption case wey di Nigeria corruption police accuse am of.
Bello bin don dodge arrest many times, including for April dis year wen EFCC operatives bin invade im house for di Wuse area of Abuja.
For dat incident, na di current Govnor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, bin come carry am comot inside im car.
For anoda occasion for September, Bello, in company of Govnor Ododo bin go di EFCC headquarters for Abuja, but di law enforcement agency no fit arrest am bicos "im bin dey hold hands wit pesin wey get immunity" and if dem try arrest am dat time, kasala fit burst between di security personnel of di govnor and EFCC men, Dele Oyewale, EFCC tok-tok pesin bin explain dat time.
Dat same evening, EFCC pipo try to arrest Bello for di Kogi State govnor's lodge for Abuja, but dem no succeed.
Case against Yahaya Bello
Bello get several charges wey di EFCC sama am; di one wey im appear dis Wednesday na a16-count charges bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy to commit an offence to di tune of N110.4 Billion.
E get anoda 18-count charges of money laundering to di tune of N80.2billion, wey dey bifor Justice Emeka Nwite of di Federal High Court Abuja.
Anoda case between di EFCC and Yahaya Bello still dey on bifor Justice James Omotosho of di Federal High Court Abuja.
Di EFCC bin file corruption charges of about N10 billion against di padi padi of Yahaya Bello, including im nephew, Ali Bello, and anoda defendant, for 2022.
However, on February 5, 2024, a week after im tenure as govnor expire, di EFCC amend di 2022 charges, raise am from 10 to 17 counts, and name Yahaya Bello as accomplice but not a defendant.
Di EFCC accuse Bello say e conspire wit Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdusalam Hudu to convert more dan N80 billion wey belong to Kogi State to dia personal use, and dem commit di crime for September 2015.
Apart from di over N80 billion wey Mr Bello allegedly convert to personal use, di EFCC also allege say di former govnor bin conspire with one company for Abuja wey e name na E-Traders International Limited "to hide di aggregate sum of over N3 billion (N3,081,804,654) in account number 1451458080 domiciled in Access Bank Plc".
Also, di same company allegedly help Bello "to transfer di aggregate sum of $570,330 to account number 4266644272 wey dey domiciled for TD Bank, United States of America".
