Court Adjourns Ruling on Yahaya Bello's Power of Attorney

On March 3, 2026, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, adjourned to March 9, 2026, to rule on the admissibility of an irrevocable power of attorney in the trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello on 19 counts of money laundering totaling approximately 80,246,470,088.88 naira.

The prosecution, led by Chukwudi Eneb, sought to tender documents related to the sale of a plot of land in Gwarimpa, Abuja, allegedly sold for 100 million naira. The defense, represented by J.B.

Daudu, objected to the admissibility of the documents on three grounds, including that the EFCC is not the custodian of land documents. Kemi Pinheiro, also representing the defense, argued that the documents were inadmissible as they did not serve a specific purpose.

The court will continue to hear arguments regarding the admissibility of these documents in the context of the ongoing trial.