Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has again failed to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja for his arraignment in an N82 billion fraud case. This marks the fifth time he has missed the court date.
Instead, Bello has requested that his trial be transferred to Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State. His counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, informed Justice Emeka Nwite that Bello had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, asking for the case to be moved due to the territorial jurisdiction of the court in Lokoja.
Adedipe did not provide an update on whether the Chief Judge had responded to this request. Additionally, Adedipe failed to uphold his previous commitment to produce Bello in court.
The case has sparked legal contention between the prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, and the defense. Pinheiro is pushing for Bello’s lawyers, Abdulwahab Mohammed and Adeola Adedipe, to be tried for contempt, accusing them of misleading the court and obstructing the trial process.
