Court Dismisses Yahaya Bello's N110bn Fraud Case Bid

The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Maryann Anenih, rejected an application by former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to stop his ongoing N110 billion fraud trial. The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, determined that the court possesses the necessary jurisdiction to hear the case, which includes 16 counts of charges filed by the Federal Government against Bello, alleging criminal breach of trust and conspiracy.

Bello's legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria J.B. Daudu, argued that the case should be dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction, claiming it was an abuse of court process as a similar case was already pending in the Federal High Court.

However, Kemi Pinheiro, the lead prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), opposed the request, asserting that the charges fall within the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court and that the properties involved are located in Abuja. The court ultimately dismissed Bello's application and ordered the trial to proceed.