Again, Yahaya Bello Snubs Court Summons In N110 Billion Fraud Case
Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello on Thursday, failed to respond to a summons for arraignment before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja.
This latest case involves allegations of N110 billion fraud.
Osun Defender reports that the judge, Maryann Anenih, on October 03, issued the summon.
She also granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), permission for substituted service of the charges and accompanying documents in lieu of personally serving them on the defendant.
The EFCC filed the fraud charges involving an alleged N10 billion in Kogi State government funds on September 25, while still scrambling to arraign Mr Bello in a separate N80 billion money laundering case before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Both cases before the two separate courts involve alleged diversion of Kogi State Government’s funds during the eight-year tenure of Mr Bello as governor.
In the case that came up on Thursday, the EFCC charged Mr Bello alongside two others – Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The 16 counts alleged in the case centre on allegations of criminal breach of trust involving alleged diversion of more than N110 billion entrusted in Mr Bello’s care as Kogi State governor. The anti-graft agency said Mr Bello and his co-defendants diverted this fund in 2016, his first year in office.
Following Mr Bello’s absence from court on Thursday, EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), pleaded with the judge, Mrs Anenih, to adjourn the case until the time when the summons she issued to the former governor elapses on 14 November.
READ ALSO
•Court Remands SS3 Student For Alleged Murder Of Colleague
•Soun Appoints New Palace Chief Imam
Mr Oyedepo reminded the court of a public summons it issued during the previous proceedings against the former governor directing that same be published and that the charge be pasted.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
