On Wednesday, November 27, former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and two other individuals pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of criminal charges brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bello, the first defendant, denied all the allegations as they were read out by the court registrar before Justice Maryann Anenih. Following the plea, the defense counsel, JB Daudu, SAN, filed a bail application for Bello. However, the EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, opposed the application, stating that it had expired in October. Daudu clarified that the bail application before the court was for Bello only and had been filed on November 22, 2024, accompanied by an affidavit and a written address.
While the EFCC was ready to start the trial and call its first witness, Daudu requested time to prepare, citing that they were only served with the charge documents at 11 pm on November 26, 2024. He argued that under Nigerian law, a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty and should be allowed liberty while preparing for trial.
Daudu further stated that the EFCC’s objection to the bail application was based on a separate matter involving Bello at the Federal High Court, emphasizing that such issues should not affect proceedings in the FCT High Court. He argued that the defendant should not be forced to appear in court until jurisdictional matters in the other case were resolved.
In response, the EFCC counsel raised three grounds for objection, challenging the competence of the application, the factual content of the bail request, and its alignment with judicial principles.
Meanwhile, two other co-defendants, Umar Shuaib Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, had been granted administrative bail by the EFCC, while Bello was appearing in court for the first time in relation to this case.
