Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is back in news and this time, the stakes are as high as it gets. Bello has taken his legal battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to the Supreme Court after the anti corruption agency accused him of laundering a mind boggling N80.2 billion.
Bello, that recently left office is facing a slew of charges 19 in total. On Wednesday, he was supposed to appear in court for his arraignment, but his legal team had other plans. Led by Mr. A. M. Adoyi, they informed the court that they would filed an appeal with the Supreme Court challenging the arrest warrant issued against Bello, this appeal, filed on September 23 essentially hits pause on the current trial, buying the former governor some time.
Adoyi argued that it would be premature to move forward with the arraignment. While the Supreme Court still has the appeal under review. He urged the court to wait it out, claiming that pressing ahead would only complicate things further and potentially invalidate the entire process.
But EFCC counsel, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, wasn’t having any of it. In a fiery response, he accused Bello’s legal team of stalling tactics and trying to make a mockery of the judiciary. He even suggested that Adoyi be reported to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for his role in what Pinheiro called an attempt to dodge the court system. According to him, Bello has been playing legal games for too long, and it’s time for the judiciary to step in and lay down the law.
Pinheiro also reminded the court that Bello had previously been warned: no more delays or legal loopholes would be tolerated unless the former governor appeared in person to face the charges against him. To him, this appeal was just another attempt to buy time, and he called for the court to take a firm stand.
Now, with the case heading to the Supreme Court, everyone’s watching to see what happens next. Will the highest court in the land side with Bello and quash the arrest warrant? Or will the EFCC’s case finally move forward? Whatever the outcome, this is one legal fight that’s not wrapping up anytime soon.