Corruption Trial: Yahaya Bello spends first night in EFCC custody, arrives court for arraignment

Wednesday is Mr Bello’s first court appearance after months of intense efforts to avoid trial and shunning court summonses to answer the corruption charges pending against him in two courts.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has produced former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, for arraignment on charges of diverting N110 billion from state government’s coffers.

Mr Bello, who spent the night in EFCC custody, was driven into the premises of the FCT High Court in Abuja in the anti-corruption agency’s vehicle at about 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday.

He was subsequently accompanied by operatives into the courtroom, where he sat in the first row of seats close to the dock.

Mr Bello spent his night in custody between Tuesday and Wednesday after stepping down from office as Kogi State governor in January this year to face corruption charges stemming from his activities during his eight-year tenure in office.

Wednesday is Mr Bello’s first court appearance after months of intense efforts to avoid trial and shunning court summonses to answer the corruption charges pending against him in two courts.

Mr Bello, who was declared wanted by the EFCC in April, finally surrendered himself to the anti-corruption agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday ahead of today’s proceedings at the FCT High Court. A money laundering case, in which he has also repeatedly shunned summonses for arraignment since April, awaits him at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The EFCC had Tuesday night confirmed the detention of Mr Bello.

The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, in an exclusive telephone interview with our reporter Tuesday evening, said “He’s currently being grilled by our investigators.”

The FCT High Court trial judge, Maryanne Anenih, overseeing the N110 billion fraud charges, had on 14 November fixed today, 27 November, for the former governor’s arraignment.

Mr Bello has shunned a raft of court summons to face corruption charges at both the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he stands accused of money laundering involving N80 billion.

Before Tuesday’s development, EFCC had made two failed attempts to arrest him at his house in Abuja and most recently at the Kogi State House in Abuja.

On 18 September, Mr Bello, in company with his successor Governor Usman Ododo, went to EFCC to make a dramatic, controversial attempt to surrender himself to the anti-graft agency.

The EFCC refused to arrest Mr Bello and instead attempted, on the same day, to apprehend him at the Kogi State Government Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, where he was being sheltered by Governor Ododo.

The encounter resulted in hours-long shootout following a confrontation that reportedly ensued between EFCC operatives and the governor’s security details.

Mr Bello escaped from the scene in Mr Ododo’s convoy amid the chaos that erupted.