The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, facing a 19-count charge, has written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, requesting that his trial be moved to Kogi State.
Bello, through his legal team led by Mr. Abdulwahab Mohammed, SAN, argued that only the Lokoja Division of the high court has the territorial jurisdiction to handle the allegations brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
During the resumed proceedings on Thursday, Bello did not appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja to enter his plea. However, his lawyer, Mr. Adeola Adedipe, SAN, informed trial Justice Emeka Nwite about the letter sent to the Chief Judge.
Adedipe explained, “After the last adjourned date, I reported back to our team and was informed that a letter had been written to the Chief Judge, requesting that this matter be transferred to the Federal High Court, Lokoja Judicial Division, which we believe has the proper jurisdiction.”
The letter was received by the Chief Judge’s Chambers, and the office of the CJ wrote to the prosecution team, notifying them of the request for transfer and asking for a response.
Adedipe stated that as of the morning of the hearing, there had been no response from the prosecution team nor a decision from the CJ.
EFCC counsel, Mr. Kemi Pinhero, SAN, urged the court to compel the defence lawyer to explain why Bello was not present despite an earlier commitment to ensure his presence.
Pinhero argued that the letter to the CJ did not excuse the undertaking made by the defendant’s senior lawyers and suggested that the court should invite the lawyers to explain why they should not face contempt charges.
Bello is accused of money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to about N80.2 billion, alongside his nephew Ali Bello and two others, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu.
Despite previous failures to appear for his arraignment, Bello has filed applications to set aside the arrest warrant issued against him on April 17 and to challenge the court’s jurisdiction.
The court, in a ruling on May 10, declined to vacate the arrest warrant but allowed Bello the opportunity to voluntarily present himself for arraignment.
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