Reprieve As Kogi Court Retrains EFCC From Arresting, Prosecuting Yahaya Bello

As drama began to unfold over the move to arrest ex-Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello in Abuja, a State High Court sitting in Lokoja came to his rescue by retraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the wanted strongman of Kogi politics.

The EFCC operatives were on Wednesday joined by heavily armed operatives from the DSS and the police who laid siege to Bello’s residence in Wuse Zone Four in their bid to arrest him to account for stewardship while he was governor.

As he hid in his well-fortified residence, the court was delivering judgement which lasted for two hours granting all the reliefs sought.

In the two-hour judgement delivered at the High Court 4 and presided over by Hon. Justice I.A Jamil, in suit no HCL/68/M/2020, the court restrained the EFCC from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the applicant except if it authorised his arrest and prosecution.

The ex-Governor had earlier obtained an interim induction before the latest definite order.

The applicant had sought to enforce his fundamental rights against the EFCC complaining of harassment and praying for protection.

The court while granting the reliefs sought by the applicant against the respondents dismissed the argument that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case

Bello’s Counsel, SA Abbas and MS Yusuf described the judgement as a landmark.

The Defendant Counsel, T.U Odima and Patrick O. Jibril agreed that the judgement was thorough.

Security operatives had laid siege to his residence and had to shoot into the air in their bid to force out Bello, who they learnt was being smuggled out of his residence by his successor, Usman Ododo.