National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By Olakunle Oyedunmola |
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has refused to grant bail to former Kogi State governor Yahaya Adoza Bello in an ongoing case of alleged N110.4 billion fraud. Justice Maryann Anineh made the ruling on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, citing the premature filing of Bello’s bail application as the reason for its rejection.
Bello, along with two co-defendants, Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering.
In her ruling, Justice Anineh stated that Bello’s bail application, filed on November 22, 2024, was premature because it predated his arrest by the EFCC on November 26 and his arraignment on November 27. According to the judge, a bail application can only be heard after a defendant has been arraigned in court.
“Having been filed when the first defendant was neither in custody nor before the court, this application is premature and hereby refused,” the judge declared.
However, Bello’s co-defendants were granted bail under strict conditions. Oricha was granted bail in the sum of ₦300 million with two sureties who must be Nigerian citizens owning landed properties within the court’s jurisdiction. The title documents of the properties, alongside his passport, must be submitted to the court registrar. Oricha is to remain in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre until he meets these conditions.
Similarly, Hudu was granted bail on the same terms. His sureties must own properties in Maitama, Abuja, and provide affidavits of means, two recent passport photographs, and their travel documents. He is also barred from leaving the country without the court’s permission. Like Oricha, Hudu will remain in Kuje prison until he fulfills the bail conditions.
The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Chukwudi Enedini, SAN, requested a trial date following the court’s decision. Justice Anineh subsequently adjourned the case to January 29, February 25, and February 27, 2025, for trial proceedings.
Meanwhile, the judge ordered that Bello remain in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre. The EFCC’s charges against Bello and his co-defendants involve allegations of massive financial mismanagement and laundering during Bello’s tenure as governor of Kogi State.
The case continues to attract significant public attention due to the scale of the alleged fraud and the high-profile nature of the accused.
