Yahaya Bello denies 80 billion naira EFCC corruption charge

27 November 2024 09:53 WAT

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Former Kogi state Governor Yahaya Bello has pleaded not guilty to the 80 billion naira corruption charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

At the outset, a court official read sixteen charges one by one to Bello and the two defendants, Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and they pleaded not guilty.

The leader of Bello’s defense team is Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joseph Daudu, while the investigation team is led by Kemi Pinhero (SAN).

Bello, who had been missing for months, finally appeared in court on Wednesday to answer the corruption case in which the Nigerian corruption police accused me.

The EFCC arraigned Yahaya Bello at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja and Justice Maryanne Anenih in charge of the case.

The courtroom was jammed for security reasons on Wednesday, mostly with EFCC personnel everywhere.

Bello bin evaded arrest many times; This includes, in April this year, when EFCC operatives invaded his house in Wuse area of Abuja.

For the occasion, we hopped in the car with the current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo.

For an event in September, Bello went to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja along with Governor Ododo bin, but the law enforcement agency is not amenable to arrest, “im bin we join hands, we get immunity” and if they try to arrest then there will be a conflict between the Governor’s security personnel and EFCC men kasala mischief broke out, Dele Oyewale, EFCC tok-tok pesin bin that time explains.

The same evening, EFCC Pipo attempts to arrest Bello from the Kogi State governor’s lodge in Abuja, but they fail.

Na came out on Tuesday and said Bello had finally handed over the EFCC.

Lawsuit against Yahaya Bello

Di EFCC bin don filed corruption charges of about N10 billion for 2022 against padi padi of Yahaya Bello, including his nephew Ali Bello and anoda accused.

However, on February 5, 2024, a week after the end of his term as governor, di EFCC amended the 2022 charges, increasing the counts from 10 to 17 and naming Yahaya Bello as an accomplice and not an accused.

The EFCC accuses Bello of conspiring with Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdusalam Hudu to convert more than N80 billion belonging to Kogi State to personal use and committing the crime in September 2015.

This date dates back nearly four months before Yahaya Bello took office as governor in February 2016.

The case is still pending before Judge James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Meanwhile, di EFCC filed a fresh 19-count case against Yahaya Bello, working for Judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

According to the EFCC report dated February 2016, this new case is very similar to the old one but the date of the crime committed is different.

Apart from the over N80 billion that Mr. Bello allegedly converted to personal use, the EFCC also alleged that the former governor conspired with a company for Abuja under the name of E-Traders International Limited to “conspire to conceal sums totaling over N3 billion.” He also claims that he “established (N3,081,804,654) in account number 1451458080 located at Access Bank Plc”.

Additionally, the same company allegedly helped Bello “transfer a total of $570,330 to account number 4266644272 in the name of TD Bank in the United States.”

Lawsuit against Yahaya Bello

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