Yahaya Bello, the recently outgoing governor of Kogi State, asserted that he was prepared to answer to the 19-count accusation levied against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Despite being absent from his arraignment, Bello briefed a group of attorneys who appeared before the court on his behalf on Tuesday.
Mr. Adeola Adedipe, SAN, a member of his legal team, informed the court that although his client would have been willing to attend the hearings, he was worried about getting arrested.
Adedipe, SAN, stated, “The defendant wants to come to court but he is scared that there is an order of arrest hanging on his head.”
As a result, he asked the court to revoke the exparte order of arrest it had previously imposed on the outgoing governor.
Adedipe, SAN, argued that the charge had not been served on his client as required by law at the time the warrant of arrest was made.
He pointed out that the court had only approved the defendant’s substituted service of the charge through his attorney at the Tuesday’s resumed hearings.
Because the order for alternative service had not been made at the time the warrant was issued. I just placed the order this morning.
The defendant’s attorney continued, “A warrant of arrest shouldn’t be hanging around his neck when we leave this court.”
