Court grants Yahaya Bello N500m bail

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, December 13, 2024, granted the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties in like sum.

This was after Bello pleaded not guilty to the 19-count charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The former governor is facing an alleged money laundering trial to the tune of N80 billion but pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

When the case was called for hearing, on Friday, the EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), notified the court of the intention of the prosecution to withdraw an earlier application for abridgement of the earlier date fixed for arraignment.

He said the application had been overtaken by events.

The defence counsels, led by Joseph Daudu (SAN), did not object and Justice Emeka Nwite granted the request.

After Bello had taken his plea, Daudu made clarifications on the reasons he had not been in court during the previous hearings.

The lawyer said: “I would like to place on record that for any impression that might have been created that the Defendant did not wish to appear before your lordship, coincidentally, the ruling on my lord’s sitting this morning dealt with the issue of jurisdiction.

“What the defendant did was to ask his counsel to challenge the jurisdiction of the court, which got to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

“So it was not a wishful disrespect but he was only trying to defend himself. So we all hold your lordship in high esteem. If that impression must have been, he should not have presented himself for arraignment. That episode is gone and things are clearer now.”

While moving an application for bail, he assured that the former governor would always be present in court for the trial.

Court remands Yahaya Bello in Kuje prison till January 2025

On his part, Pinheiro said:  “I must express my honour to the very eminent lead senior counsel. He is a man of immense stature, not because of his size.

“I do respect him as president of NBA. I also confirm that we have been engaging in a series of discussions to ease the burden on your lordship in compliance with Rule 26 of Rules of Professional Ethics.

“I also note that your lordship had delivered not less than five rulings in this matter and it is our aim to ease the work.

“We are prosecutors not persecutors and EFCC is a professional commission, a prosecutorial and not prosecutorial commission.

“We accept the assurances of the very eminent SAN that the defendant will make himself available subject to your lordship’s discretionary terms that may be imposed.

“By so doing, we will ease the burden on the court. Therefore, we will not be opposing the eminent SAN’s submission.”

The lawyer said though they had filed a counter-affidavit, they would not oppose the bail, going by the assurances of Daudu.

Ruling on the bail application, Justice Nwite said: “I have listened to the submissions of both counsels. It is not in dispute that both counsels have filed applications in respect of this.

“Based on the account exhibited by learned counsel for the defendant, which was exhibited and supported by prosecution counsel, I am minded to change my earlier stand on this matter.”

The judge, therefore, granted Bello N500 million bail with two sureties.

“Sureties must be landed property owners within the jurisdiction of this court. They must swear to affidavit of means. The title deeds of priority to be verified by the court registrar,” Justice Nwite added.

Bello was also asked to submit his international passport while he would remain at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the perfection of the bail conditions.

It would be recalled that the former governor was earlier remanded in a fresh N110 billion charge by the EFCC, pending his bail application.

The Star