Court Admits Yahaya Bello to ₦500m Bail, Adjourns Trial to Feb 24
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, granted bail to the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to the tune of N500 million with two sureties in the like sum.
The court, in the ruling that was delivered by trial Justice Emeka Nwite, held that the sureties must be owners of landed properties in Abuja.
Aside from directing the sureties to tender the title documents of the properties, which must be verified by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court, Justice Nwite equally ordered them to swear to an affidavit of means.
According to the court, both the defendant and the sureties must submit their recent passport photographs.
It further ordered the former governor to surrender his international passport and not travel outside the country without permission.
The court held that the defendant should remain at Kuje prison, pending the perfection of the bail conditions.
Bello pleaded not guilty to the alleged ₦80 billion fraud levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
EFCC had arraigned Bello before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 19-count charge, bordering on alleged money laundering.
At the resumed hearing, Counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, notified the court of his intention to withdraw an earlier application for abridgment of the earlier date fixed for arraignment.
He said the application had been overtaken by events.
Counsel to the defendants, Joseph Daudu, SAN, did not object to this and Justice Emeka Nwite, accordingly granted the request, striking out the application.
The ex-governor was earlier remanded in a fresh ₦110 billion charge by the EFCC, pending his bail application.
The case was adjourned to February 24 for the continuation of hearing.
