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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has been called to appear in a Federal High Court on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, to address allegations of money laundering amounting to ₦80.2 billion.
This court appearance will provide him the opportunity to enter a plea regarding the 19-count charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bello, who concluded his term as governor in January, has repeatedly avoided court sessions scheduled for his arraignment, missing at least five appearances on dates including April 18, April 23, May 10, June 13, and July 17.
The situation escalated on April 17, 2024, when a court issued a warrant for his arrest. EFCC operatives attempted to apprehend him at his residence in Wuse, Abuja, but their efforts were thwarted by police officers guarding the property.
After hours of attempting to carry out the arrest, reinforcements from the Police and Department of State Services (DSS) were called in, leading to a tense standoff. Reports indicated that Bello was inside a vehicle as security forces prepared to force entry.
Following these events, the EFCC declared Bello wanted. However, his media aide, Ohiare Michael, recently emphasized the importance of Bello attending the EFCC invitation, asserting that he has “nothing to hide and nothing to fear.”
According to a highly-placed source, Wednesday’s court date represents a critical opportunity for the former governor to confront the charges against him, with some labelling it his “only saving grace and last opportunity.”
“The only saving grace and last opportunity is for him to show up in court on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 to take his plea. The Commission is not perturbed about all his moves because charges have been drafted against him already and his delay tactics about taking his plea could only worsen his case.
“His last opportunity is to make himself available in court. That is the only thing that can help his case,” the source confided in Daily Trust.
Further findings revealed that the anti-graft agency turned down Bello’s surrender offer due to the perceived calculated moves of the former governor to compromise the operational procedures of the EFCC by breaching codes spelt out in the Standard Operating Procedures of the Commission.
Bello was said to be communicating with some officers when he arrived at the premises of the Commission, who misled him, thereby throwing his surrender moves overboard.
“The EFCC is a highly professional agency with strict guidelines about arrest, bail, surrender of wanted suspects, investigation and prosecution.
“He (Bello) came carrying himself like an emperor in an environment where he is a suspect. Besides, the Commission reportedly stumbled on some intelligence regarding his motives for surrender which could jeorpadise his trial eventually.
“All these made the chairman, Ola Olukoyede to act swiftly and turned down his contrived surrender offer,” another impeccable source confided in our Daily Trust.
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