Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has initiated legal proceedings against former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, in connection with an alleged diversion of approximately N100 billion.
Alongside Bello, the Chief of Staff to the current Kogi State Governor, Alli Bello, and a certain Daudu Suleiman have also been re-arraigned by the EFCC on similar charges.
During the court proceedings before Justice James Omotoso at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Alli and Suleman pleaded not guilty to a seventeen-count amended charge presented by the EFCC.
Alli’s defense counsel, Abubakar Aliyu, contested the reading of the amended charge, citing the anti-graft agency’s purported failure to adhere to Section 218 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
However, the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to dismiss the defendants’ objections, asserting that the court itself had endorsed the amendment.
Justice James Omotoso, emphasizing an expedited trial process, instructed that all objections be deferred until the address stage and confirmed that the charge would be read to the defendants.
He further ruled that Alli Bello and Suleman should retain the bail conditions previously granted to them.
In the initial count, Bello, Alli, and Suleman are accused of conspiring in September 2015 to misappropriate N80,246,470,089 for personal gain.
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Additionally, they face charges under Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 for allegedly possessing funds derived from fraudulent activities and a breach of public trust.
Among the charges, Alli and Suleman are also accused of concealing significant sums of money with a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator named Rabiu Musa Tafada, trading under the business name Global Venture in Abuja.
