Former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello Denied Bail, Co-Defendants Granted Bail with Stringent Conditions

Justice Maryann Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, has refused to grant bail to former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello, citing the premature filing of his application.

The judge stated that the application was intended to preempt the Court’s processes.

Bello, alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count charge of criminal breach of trust and money laundering amounting to N110.4 billion.

In her ruling, Justice Anineh clarified that Bello’s bail application, filed on November 22, 2024, was incompetent as it preceded his arrest by the EFCC on November 26 and his arraignment on November 27.

According to the judge, a bail application only becomes valid after a defendant’s arraignment.

“Having been filed when the first defendant was neither in custody nor before the court, this application is premature and hereby refused,” she ruled.

However, Bello’s co-defendants, Oricha and Hudu, were granted bail under stringent conditions.

Oricha’s bail was set at N300 million with two sureties of equal financial standing.

The judge stipulated that the sureties must be Nigerian citizens with landed properties within the Court’s jurisdiction.

Additionally, the title documents of the properties and Oricha’s passport are to be deposited with the Court registrar.

Until the conditions are met, Oricha will remain in custody at Kuje Correctional Centre.

Similarly, Hudu’s bail was granted on the same financial terms. His sureties must own properties in Maitama, Abuja, and must submit affidavits of means, two recent passport photographs, and their travel documents to the Court.

Justice Anineh barred Hudu from leaving the country without the Court’s permission and ordered his remand at Kuje Correctional Centre until he satisfies the bail conditions.

During proceedings, the EFCC’s lead counsel, Chukwudi Enedini, SAN, requested trial dates, prompting Justice Anineh to adjourn the case to January 29, February 25, and February 27, 2025.

She further directed that Bello be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre pending his trial.