Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State, at the Kuje correctional center, pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
Bello was granted bail in the sum of N500 million, with two sureties who must each provide a similar amount in landed property within the court’s jurisdiction.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Nwite emphasized that granting bail is at the court’s discretion, regardless of whether the application is contested.
The judge noted the defendant’s previous conduct, which led to the court’s decision to grant bail under strict conditions.
The terms include the verification of property documents by the chief deputy registrar and the submission of both the defendant’s and sureties’ passports and recent passport photographs to the court.
Bello will only be released once these conditions are met. The case was adjourned for trial to February 24, 28, and March 6-7, 2025.
Bello is facing 19 charges related to money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds totaling N80.2 billion, as filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
His legal counsel, J.B. Daudu, apologized for previous legal challenges and assured the court that Bello, who served two terms as governor, would attend all trial sessions and not pose a flight risk.
EFCC counsel Kemi Pinheiro informed the court that the prosecution would withdraw a previous application seeking to shorten the arraignment date, which was no longer necessary.
Pinheiro did not oppose the bail request, despite having previously filed a counter.
In addition to this case, Bello faces another fraud charge of N110.4 billion before Justice MaryAnne Anenih at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
Following a procedural error, Anenih rejected his bail application in that case and ordered his remand at the Kuje correctional facility until the hearing of his bail application.
