Alleged ₦80bn Fraud: Court Grants Former Kogi Gov, Yahaya Bello ₦500m Bail

Abuja Federal High Court has granted a ₦500 million bail to the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

Justice Emeka Nwite who presided over the court session on Friday directed that the former governor must produce two sureties in like sum.

He made it known that the two sureties must swear to an affidavit of means and must be owners of Properties in Abuja.

In addition, the title documents of the properties, which must be in Abuja, will be verified by the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.

Justice Nwite ordered that the ex-governor must deposit his international passport with the court, while he and his two sureties are also to deposit two recent passport photographs with the court.

He also ruled that Bello be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja pending the perfection of his bail conditions.

Bello pleaded not guilty to the alleged ₦80 billion fraud leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC had arraigned Bello before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 19-count charge, bordering on alleged money laundering.

At the resumed hearing, Counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, notified the court of his intention to withdraw an earlier application for abridgment of the earlier date fixed for arraignment.

He said the application had been overtaken by events.

Counsel to the defendants, Joseph Daudu, SAN, did not object to this, and Justice Emeka Nwite, accordingly granted the request, striking out the application.

The ex-governor was earlier remanded in a fresh ₦110 billion charge by the EFCC, pending his bail application.

The case was adjourned to February 24 for the continuation of the hearing.