FG FILES FRESH 16-COUNT CHARGES AGAINST EX-KOGI GOVERNOR, YAHAYA BELLO
The federal government has filed a fresh 16-count charge against Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state.
The charge, filed before a federal high court in Abuja on Wednesday, borders on alleged criminal breach of trust to the tune of N110,446,470,089, contrary to sections 96 and 311 of Penal Code Law Cap.89 Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963 and punishable under Section 312 of same law.
The former governor, who is the sole defendant in a 19-count charge earlier preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is to face this fresh 16-count charge alongside two officials of the Kogi state government — Abdulsalami Hudu and Umar Oricha.
The defendants were alleged to have used funds from the Kogi state treasury to acquire properties in high-brow areas within the federal capital territory (FCT) and in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, according to the charge sheet seen by TheCable.
THE ALLEGED OFFENCES
Count one of the charge alleges that Bello, Oricha and Hudu, sometime in 2016 in Abuja, agreed among themselves “to cause to be done an illegal act to wit: criminal breach of trust in respect of the total sum of N110,446, 470, 089.00 (One Hundred and Ten Billion, Four Hundred and Forty six Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Eighty Nine Naira) entrusted to you”.
In count two, the defendants were said to have used the total sum of N950 million in 2023 “for the acquisition of a property known as No: 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja”.
Count three accused the defendants of using N100 million “for the acquisition of a property known as No: 1160 Cadastral Zone CO3, Gwarimpa I District, Abuja” in 2021.
In court four, they were accused of using N920 million “for the acquisition of a property known as No: 2 Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Street, Asokoro, Abuja” in 2020.
The defendants, in count five, allegedly used N170 million “for the acquisition of a property known as Block D Manzini Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja” in 2022.
In count six, they allegedly used N100 million to purchase a property known as No: 1773 Guzape District, Abuja in 2018.
In count seven, they allegedly used another N100 million “for the acquisition of a property known as No: A02/176 Block 488B, Lome Street, Wuse 1, Abuja” in 2020.
In count eight, they were said to have in 2020, used N66 million “for the acquisition of a property known as No: 739 Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2 at No. 13 Citiscape-Sharriff Plaza, Abuja”.
Count nine alleges that the trio used N550 million for the acquisition of a property known as No: 2934 A Cadastral Zone A06 also known as No.1 Ikogosi Spring Close, Maitama District, Abuja”, in 2020.
In count 10, they were said to have used N650 million to purchase a property known as No: 1058, Measuring 1450.77 sqm in Cadastral Zone A08, Wuse 2 also Known as No. 2 Durban Street Abuja, in 2021.
In count 11, the accused persons were said to have used 5,698,888 Dirhams in 2022 “for the acquisition of a property located at Hotel Apartment Community: Burj Khalifa, lying, being and situated at Plot 160, Municipality NO 345-7562, Sky View Building No.401, Floor4, Dubai U.A. E.”
Count 12 accused the defendants of using N60 million for the acquisition of a property known as Block 18 (337) Flat B Gwelo street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja in 2016.
In count 13, the defendants were alleged to have “dishonestly used the total sum of N310,443,450.00 to tastefully renovate a property known as No: 9 Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja” in 2017.
Count 14 alleges that the defendants “dishonestly sent the total sum of $570,330.00 to account No. 4266644272 Domiciled with TD Bank, United States of America” in 2021.
In count 15, they were also alleged to have “sent the total sum of $556,265.00 to account No. 4266644272 domiciled with TD Bank, United States of America”, in 2021.
In count 16, Bello alone was alleged to have had under his control, “the total sum of N677, 848,000 unlawfully obtained from Bespoque Business Solutions Limited” sometime between 2017 and 2018, in Abuja.
BACKGROUND
On April 18, 2024, the EFCC declared Bello wanted over alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation to the tune of N80.2 billion.
The commission declared Bello wanted after several attempts to arrest him proved unsuccessful.
Ola Olukoyede, EFCC chairman, would later allege that Bello withdrew $720,000 from Kogi’s coffers to pay his child’s school fees in advance.
The anti-graft agency also filed a 19-count charge against Bello over alleged money laundering.
However, the arraignment has been stalled on several occasions due to the absence of the former governor.
On August 20, the court of appeal in Abuja ordered Bello to surrender himself for arraignment.
Sources had told TheCable that Bello has been hiding in plain sight — holed up in the “protective custody” of the Kogi state government — since he was declared wanted by the EFCC.
On September 18, Bello’s media office said the ex-governor had honoured the anti-graft agency’s invitation.
The EFCC immediately denied that Bello was in its custody, restating that the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain was still a wanted man.
However, Bello’s media office responded by saying the politician was not interrogated when he visited the EFCC office and was turned back.
The media office of the former governor also alleged that operatives of the EFCC laid siege to the Kogi government lodge in Abuja in a bid to forcefully arrest Bello.
FUBARA LOSES AS APPEAL COURT AFFIRMS PRO-WIKE LAWMAKER AS AUTHENTIC SPEAKER OF RIVERS ASSEMBLY
FUBARA LOSES AS APPEAL COURT AFFIRMS PRO-WIKE LAWMAKER AS AUTHENTIC SPEAKER OF RIVERS ASSEMBLY The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, affirmed Hon. Martin Amaewhule as the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State Assembly. The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices, equally validated the Amaewhule-led members of the Assembly as bonafide lawmakers for the state. While dismissing an appeal that was lodged before it by Governor Siminalaye Fubara, the court upheld a judgement the Federal High Court delivered on January 22, which nullified the 2024 budget of Rivers State on the premise that it was not presented before members of the state assembly that were known to the law. According to the appellate court, Fubara, shot himself on the foot when he voluntarily withdrew a counter-affidavit he filed to challenge a legal action the Amaewhule-led lawmakers instituted to be recognised as valid members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The court held that governor Fubara’s decision to present the 2024 Rivers State Appropriation Bill to only four out of 31 members of the Assembly, amounted to a gross violation of section 91 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. It will be recalled that the Rivers State Assembly was fractionalised owing to the frosty relationship between Governor Fubara and his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike. In the heat of the fracas, governor Fubara sidelined the Amaewhule-led 26 members of the House that were loyal to Wike and presented the state’s N800billion 2024 budget before the four lawmakers led by Hon. Edison Ehie who had emerged as a factional Speaker of the Assembly. The Ehie-led faction, which had also declared seats of the Amaewhule-led pro-Wike lawmakers vacant for defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC, from the Peoples Democratic Party, promptly passed the budget which was quickly assented to by Governor Fubara. Meanwhile, following the intervention of President Bola Tinubu, both Fubara and Wike signed a peace pact that included the restoration of Amaewhule as the bonafide Speaker of the State Assembly. The factional Speaker, Ehie, who had approached the court and was joined as an interested party in the suit, subsequently withdrew all the processes he filed before the court and equally rescinded both his seat and his membership of the Assembly. Whereas Governor Fubara, in line with terms of the peace deal, withdrew all the processes he filed to challenge the suit, however, the pro-Wike lawmakers only withdrew an impeachment notice they served on him while they declined to terminate their legal action. While deciding the suit, Justice James Omotosho of the high court held that the budget was invalid as it was not properly presented before the Rivers State House of Assembly as required by the law. It held that Governor Fubara acted like a tyrant when he demolished the Rivers State Assembly complex and withheld funds standing to the credit of the legislative house. The court also described as unconstitutional, the redeployment of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the Rivers State Assembly by Governor Fubara. Justice Omotosho stressed that the governor lacked the statutory rights to interfere with the operations of the Assembly, adding that he acted in contempt of a subsisting order that barred the parties from taking any steps to overreach the matter that was pending before the court. Besides, the court held that the National Assembly could not take over the legislative affairs of the state in the absence of the preconditions that were listed under section 11 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Consequently, the court, among other things, nullified all actions the Rivers Assembly took without the participation of the Amaewhule-led members of the House, among which included the presentation…