Yahaya Bello Remanded in Kuje Prison Over ₦110 Billion Fraud
Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the immediate former governor of Kogi State, was ordered to be remanded in Kuje Prison on Tuesday by a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, pending his trial on charges of ₦110 billion fraud.
The trial was postponed to February 25, 2025, and then Justice Maryann Anenih issued the remand order.
Kogi State’s 2016–2024 governor, Bello, is charged with 16 counts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, two former state officials named as co-defendants in the case, are also implicated alongside him.
Additionally, the court denied a request for bail for the former governor made by Bello’s legal team, which was headed by former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Joseph Daudu, SAN.
Three days before to Bello’s voluntary surrender to the EFCC on November 25, Justice Anenih declared that the bail application was submitted too soon on November 22.
A bail application is submitted to contest a defendant’s incarceration. The legality of the application is compromised if it is filed before being placed under arrest, the judge said.
“Therefore, the instant application, being filed prematurely, is hereby refused,” she added.
The court did, however, grant the second and third accused bail of ₦300 million apiece, accompanied by two sureties of the same amount. As part of the bond requirements, the court also confiscated their travel documents.
Lead attorney Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, on behalf of the EFCC, argued against Bello’s bail, citing the former governor’s continuous attempts to avoid trial.
The EFCC stated that multiple attempts to get the first defendant to appear in court for a different matter that was still pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja were unsuccessful.
Bello’s bail application, which was submitted just days prior to his official arraignment, was characterized by the agency as an attempt to influence the legal system.
Bello and his co-defendants were charged by the EFCC with conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and possession of property that was gained illegally.
Bello, through his legal team, maintained his innocence, arguing that he is entitled to the presumption of innocence under the law.
“Our client is innocent of all allegations and requires bail to effectively prepare his defence,” Daudu said. He dismissed claims by the EFCC that Bello had evaded trial, asserting that his client voluntarily surrendered to the anti-graft agency.
The high-profile case has drawn widespread attention, with many Nigerians expressing mixed reactions. While some lauded the EFCC’s commitment to holding public officials accountable, others questioned the protracted nature of high-profile corruption trials.
The case, marked CR/7781, underscores Nigeria’s ongoing battle against corruption and the judicial system’s role in ensuring accountability among public officials.
The former governor was accused by the EFCC of misusing state funds to buy properties, such as No. 2 Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Street, Asokoro, Abuja (N920 million), No. 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja (N950 million), and No. 1160 Cadastral Zone C03, Gwarimpa II District, Abuja (N100 million).
Additional properties that the defendants allegedly purchased with money taken from the Kogi state treasury included No. 9 Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N310.4 million); Block D Manzini Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N170 million); Hotel Apartment Community: Burj Khalifa, Dubai (Five Million, Six Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Eight Dirhams); and Block 18, Gwelo Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N60 million).
The defendants were also charged with illegally obtaining property, including N677.8 million from Bespoque Business Solution Limited, and transferring $570,330 and $556,265 to TD Bank, USA.
