The immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to adjourn, indefinitely, the ongoing case instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Bello also asked the court to vacate its arrest order on him, pending the determination of an appeal he filed at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.

The former governor’s demands were contained in a letter written by his lawyer, Musa Yakubu (SAN).

The letter dated July 12 was addressed to the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ahead of Bello’s arraignment slated for Wednesday, July 17, 2024.

Bello is being tried for allegedly laundering N80 billion.

In the letter, Bello requested that further proceedings in the charge be adjourned sine die, pending the determination of the appeal currently pending at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

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The letter, a copy of which was sent to the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, was in response to a letter to Justice Nwite by the EFCC dated July 8 and filed on July 10, 2024.

In the letter, the EFCC requested a variation of the earlier warrant of arrest issued against Bello, additionally requesting that the various security agencies be specifically directed to carry out the earlier arrest.

Responding to the EFCC’s application, Bello’s counsel urged the court to decline the request and await the outcome of the appeal pending at the Court of Appeal over the said warrant of arrest and other related pronouncements of the trial court.

Bello’s counsel made reference to the position of the law as contained in Order 4 Rule 11(1) of the Court of Appeal Rules, 2021, and the pronouncement of the Supreme Court in the case of Vab Petroleum INC V. Momah (Supra), and a litany of other cases.

N80.2bn fraud: Try me in Kogi not Abuja, Yahaya Bello writes court

“We respectfully urge the court to set aside and expunge from its records, the proceedings of the 27th June 2024, including any ruling, order or directive carried out in the face of the defendant’s appeal entered on the 24th of May, 2024,” he said.

He asked the court to “adjourn further proceedings in this charge sine die, pending the determination of Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CR/536/2024 entered by the defendant, and pending at the Court of Appeal, Abuja.”

The Star