Barring any last-minute changes, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on Wednesday arraign the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Bello’s arraignment is coming several months after the anti-graft agency attempted to arrest and prosecute him over alleged money laundering and other charges.
News of his arraignment came shortly after he turned himself in to the commission which had sought a warrant for his arrest as far back as April this year.
Recall that the former governor had on September 18, turned himself in to the anti-graft agency who had filed charges against him before the Federal High Court and the High Court of the FCT, both in Abuja.
After waiting for several hours without anyone attending to him, the former governor had left the premises without been interrogated or detained.
However, in his second surrender to the headquarters of the EFCC, Thisday learnt that he was arrested on Tuesday afternoon shortly after he entered into the headquarters of the commission in the Jabi, Area of Abuja.
According to the spokesman of the commission, Mr. Dele Oyewale, the former governor was arrested around 12.45 pm and would be arraigned on Wednesday.
He added that Bello was with three of his lawyers when he was arrested.
Unlike his first visit, Bello was not accompanied by the current governor of KogiState, Usman Ododo.
His submission is believed to have come from the recent Supreme Court judgment which dismissed some states suit challenging the constitutionality of the anti-graft agency.
It was also reliably gathered that the former governor drove himself in a black hiluxto the EFCC office with his lawyers.
There were insinuations last week that he was going to visit the EFCC but the former governor’s media aides did not respond to enquiries on the information.
At the last hearing on November 14, the EFCC had sought for adjournment to tomorrow (November 27) in the fresh case it instituted against Bello, saying the 30-day window was still running for the summons earlier issued.
The EFCC, however, admitted his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and AbdulsalamiHudu, to administrative bail and prayed the court for extension of time for the 1st Defendant to appear.
The EFCC had on September 25 filed fresh charges against Bello and two others at a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
In the suit marked: CR/7781/2024, Bello, Umar Shuaibu Oricha and AbdulsalamiHudu, are accused of spending over N110 billion of public funds to acquire several properties in Abuja and in Dubai.
The suit dated September 24 but filed on September 25, by the anti-graft agency’s lawyer, Mr kemi Pinheiro, SAN, accused the defendants of criminal breach of trust, an offence punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.
Count one of the charge read: “that you, Yahaya Adoza Bello, Umar ShuaibuOricha and Abdulsalami Hudu sometimes in 2016 in Abuja, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourble Court agreed amongst yourselves to cause to be done an illegal act to wit: criminal breach of trust in respect of the total sum of N110, 446, 470, 089.00 (One Hundred and Ten Billion, Four Hundred and Forty six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Eighty Nine Naira) entrusted to you”.
Alex Enumah
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