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A High Court sitting in Abuja, has summoned the immediate-past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, for arraignment on October 24.
Bello, said to be arraigned on October 24 is faced with 16 fresh charges brought against him alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Recalled that Bello had been declared wanted after Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued an arrest warrant on him on April 17 but he failed to appear.
He was then declared wanted on a 19 counts bordering on money laundering and misappropriation of N80.2bn funds.
Justice Maryanne Anenih, ruled on Thursday following a fresh charges issued against Bello, where she insisted that he (Bello) must appear before the court to answer the new 16 counts against him.
Justice Anenih’s summons follows an application by the EFCC that it had been unable to serve Bello with the charge filed on September 24, in which Bello and the other defendants were charged with criminal breach of trust to the tune of N110.4bn.
Justice Anenih, while delivering the ruling, ordered the EFCC to publish the public summons in a widely circulating newspaper.
She also ordered the EFCC to paste copies of the public summons on Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous places on the court premises.
Bello was billed to appear Thursday in court for his arraignment in the fresh charge brought against him but his absence stalled the scheduled arraignment.
