JUST IN: Court summons Yahaya Bello over alleged breach of trust, others

A former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has been summoned to appear before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over allegations of criminal breach of trust and possession of unlawfully acquired property.

The summons, issued by Justice Maryann E. Anenih, alleged that Bello committed the offences between 2016 and 2023.

The summons, dated October 3, 2024, was made public in a Friday post from the X handle of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission.

According to the court documents, Bello is accused of violating Section 311 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89 Laws of Northern Nigeria 1963, which deals with criminal breach of trust and is punishable under Section 312.

He is also charged under Section 319A, for allegedly possessing property suspected to have been obtained through unlawful means.

The summons, which was made public, read partly:

“A complaint has been made on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that you, Yahaya Adoza Bello, sometimes within the year 2016 up until 2023… did commit offences to wit: criminal breach of trust… and having possession or control of property reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained.”

Bello is expected to appear before “High Court No. 3, Maitama, on November 14, 2024, at 9.am.”

The EFCC had earlier declared the former governor wanted.

Recently, the commission filed fresh charges against the wanted former governor, accusing him of N110bn fraud.

The EFCC had initially filed 19 charges against Bello, along with his nephew Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu, for money laundering offences amounting to N80,246,470,088.88.

However, in the fresh 16 charges dated September 25, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent, the total sum of the same money laundering offences rose to N110,446,470,89.00.

Last month, he visited the headquarters of the anti-graft commission in Abuja alongside the current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, but he was not interrogated.

The EFCC later referred to his visit as part of a strategic game plan.

“That is enough to convince Nigerians that his presence at the EFCC on the 18th of September was more of a stunt, not really that he wanted to abide by the rule of law,” EFCC Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, made this assertion during an interview on Arise TV The Morning Show.

Also, in September, there was a move made by the EFCC to arrest him, which was futile.