Abuja High Court slam Former Kogi Governor, accuse him of deliberately evading arrest
The immediate past Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello has been accused by a Federal High Court in Abuja of trying to truncate the case against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The former Governor is facing a charge on his alleged misappropriation of public funds money laundering, breach of trust to the tune of about N80.2billion.
The court in its ruling on Friday, May 10, 2024 delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite restated the order that was earlier delivered on the 17th of April, 2024 which gave the security agencies the power to arrest the former Governor in order to answer a 19-count allegation levied against him by the EFCC.
According to the court, Bello has refused to make himself available in court and is an outright disobedience on his part against the court. In the ruling, the court further stated that “Refusal of the defendant to make himself available in an attempt to truncate this court makes it practically impossible for the court to assume jurisdiction in this criminal trial.
“He ought to make himself available. He cannot sit in the comfort of his home to file applications before this court. According to the court, filing an application means he never had any intention of appearing in court which puts him in contempt of the court because “Any party who refuses to obey an order of court after becoming aware of it, is in contempt of court.
It was reported that the embattled Governor briefed Lawyers to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to try him which the court did not take lightly as they said that “Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, mandates all persons and authority to give effect to orders of court.
Justice Nwite held that Bello treated the court order with levity and opined that “In view of the forgoing analysis, I am of the view and I so hold, that no application can be moved or heard unless the defendant is present before the court to take his plea,” the trial judge held.
The court advised that the former Governor should have appeared in court first before making such rash challenge.
