Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has made a significant ruling in the ongoing case involving the alleged N80 billion fraud charges against former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello. In a decisive move, the court ordered that the charges be served through Bello's legal representative, Abdulwahab Mohammed.
The Judge's decision came during a hearing on Tuesday, following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for substituted service on Bello. Lead counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, presented the application before the court.
Initially, Bello's lawyer, Abdulwahab Mohammed, resisted accepting the charges and proof of evidence. However, Justice Nwite compelled him to do so, rejecting Mohammed's suggestion that a junior lawyer in his team, AI Musa, should handle the acceptance of the charges on behalf of the former governor.
Notably, Yahaya Bello was absent from the court proceedings once again, with his lawyer representing him. Last week, Justice Nwite had issued a bench warrant against Bello at the request of the EFCC, citing the former governor's persistent absence and evasion of the criminal charges.
The EFCC had declared Bello wanted due to his continued failure to appear in court to face the charges against him. The development underscores the gravity of the allegations and the legal battle unfolding around them.
