Alleged Fraud: Court refuses Yahaya Bello’s bail application

Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court has rejected the bail application filed by the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that it was prematurely filed.

In her ruling, Justice Anenih explained that the application was submitted while Bello was neither in custody nor before the court, making the motion incompetent.

The former governor is facing trial, along with two others, on an alleged ₦110 billion money laundering charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

During the court proceedings, Justice Anenih reviewed the motion, which was filed on November 22, seeking to have Bello granted bail pending the trial’s outcome. Bello’s counsel, JB Daudu (SAN), argued that sufficient grounds had been provided to justify the bail and urged the court to exercise its discretion fairly.

In opposition, prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro argued that the bail application was fundamentally flawed, as it was filed before the defendant’s arraignment. He contended that the application should have been made after arraignment, a position disputed by the defense, which claimed there was no legal authority to prevent the filing before then.

Justice Anenih emphasized that the bail application was filed on November 22, several days after Bello had been taken into custody on November 26 and arraigned on November 27. She cited relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which stipulate that a bail application can only be made after the defendant has been arrested, detained, or arraigned before the court.

In a related ruling, the second defendant, Umar Oricha, was granted bail in the amount of ₦300 million with two sureties. The sureties must own property in Maitama worth at least the value of the bond and submit their original title documents to the court. Additionally, they must provide affidavits of means and deposit copies of their passports. The court also ordered Oricha to deposit his travel documents and be remanded in prison custody until he meets the bail conditions.

Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at NeptunePrime.