Abuja 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 High Court in Abuja to face allegations of criminal breach of trust and possession of unlawfully acquired property.

Bello is expected to appear before the High Court No. 3, Maitama, on November 14, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. to face charges related to his alleged offences.

According to the summons issued by Justice Maryann E. Anenih, 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.”

Persecondnews recalls that the EFCC had earlier declared the former governor wanted.

Recently, the commission filed fresh charges against Bello, 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 N80.2 billion.

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 billion.

He and the current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, visited the anti-graft commission’s headquarters in Abuja last month, but no one interrogated him.

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

In September, the EFCC made a futile attempt to arrest him.