Justice Maryann of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has struck out the bail application of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, in a ruling delivered today......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
The judge dismissed the application on the grounds that it was filed before the former governor was taken into custody by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bail application filed Prematurely, says court
The application for bail was submitted on November 22, but it was only after Yahaya Bello was arrested by the EFCC on November 26 and arraigned before the court on November 27 that the bail request was considered.
According to the ruling, the bail application was premature since it was filed before the suspect was formally in custody, Tribune reported.
Legit reported that the case centers around the 16-count charge of alleged fraud amounting to ₦110.4 billion, which the EFCC filed against Bello. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
EFCC moves forward with other legal actions
In a separate development, the EFCC is preparing to arraign Yahaya Bello alongside his nephew, Ali Bello, and two other individuals—Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu—before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
These four defendants face a total of 19 charges, which include accusations of money laundering, breach of trust, and the misappropriation of public funds.
The total sum alleged to have been misappropriated in the fraudulent activities is said to amount to ₦80.2 billion. The EFCC’s legal team is set to proceed with the charges, which are expected to dominate headlines as the case progresses.
Verydarkman challenges EFCC
Earlier, Legit reported that popular social media personality, Martins Vincent Otse, aka Verydarkman, reacted to Bello’s arrest.
Verydarkman claimed that he heard that Bello bribed the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, with 10 billion naira to arrange the arrest.
The internet sensation however noted that the information came from an unreliable source and dared the commission to post a picture of the politician holding a placard.
