Embattled former governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello on Tuesday stated that he is ready to confront the Federal High Court in Abuja regarding the 19-count indictment filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Though Bello was absent for his arraignment, he briefed a team of lawyers who addressed the court on his behalf on Tuesday.
A member of his legal team, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, said his client would have appeared in court but was worried about being taken into custody.
He said: “The defendant wants to come to court but he is afraid that there is an order of arrest hanging on his head.”
He asked the court to revoke the exparte order of arrest it had previously imposed on the former governor.
Adedipe argued that the charge had not been served on his client as required by law at the time the warrant of arrest was made.
He noted that it was only at the resumed proceedings on Tuesday that the court okayed substituted service of the charge on the defendant, through his lawyer.
“As at the time the warrant was issued, the order for substituted service had not been made. That order was just made this morning.
“A warrant of arrest should not be hanging on his neck when we leave this court,” counsel to the defendant added.
It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission last week declared a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, wanted for offences relating to economic and financial crimes.
This was contained in a notice posted on the commission’s official Facebook page on Thursday.
The notice read, “The public is hereby notified that Yahaya Adoza Bello (former Governor of Kogi State), whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in connection with an alleged case of Money Laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88
“Bello, a 48-year-old Ebira man, is a native of Okenne Local Government of Kogi State.
