Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has pleaded not guilty to the 16-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Com
Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has pleaded not guilty to the 16-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC over his involvement in N110 billion fraud.
Bello was arraigned on Wednesday before Justice Maryanne Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
The former Kogi governor was declared wanted by the EFCC in April 2024. The EFCC had filed 19 charges against Bello and his nephews, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu, for allegedly laundering over N80 billion.
Earlier, Bello took over crowd control of the courtroom when Justice Anenih walked out.
Justice Anenih, who came in to take the plea of the former governor and his co-defendants, rose abruptly and announced not to come back until there was sanity in the courtroom.
Shortly after the judge left the courtroom, Bello who sat in the front of the courtroom stood up and moved to the surging crowd.
He immediately directed his followers and sympathisers to vacate their seats and leave the courtroom.
His actions doused the tension without resistance, as the followers left the courtroom one after the other.
To ensure sanity in the courtroom, the former governor sat at the entrance to the courtroom and ensured that none of his followers disobeyed the order of the court,
Meanwhile, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN is leading the Federal Government legal team for the arraignment while Joseph Dauda, SAN, leads the legal team of the former governor in the 16-count charges.
