Embattled former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Thursday, failed to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja for his arraignment in the N82 billion fraud case.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC had arraigned Bello for alleged fraudulent activities while in office, but he consistently refused to show up in court on five occasions.
He, instead chose to file an appeal through his counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, to the Chief Judge of the Court, Justice John Tsoho, requesting that his trial case be transferred to Lokoja.
During Thursday’s proceedings, Adedipe informed Justice Emeka Nwite that the governor had written to the Chief Judge requesting that the trial be moved to Lokoja.
He stated that his client preferred to be arraigned in Lokoja, because the court there has ‘territorial jurisdiction’. However, the senior lawyer did not mention the status of the Chief Judge’s response to the request.
The counsel also did not fulfill his commitment made on June 13 to produce Bello in court for today’s arraignment.
Meanwhile, the prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, is demanding that Bello’s lead counsel, Abdulwahab Mohammed, and Adeola Adedipe, be tried for contempt for misleading the court.
