Order and counter order over Yahaya Bello’s attempted arrest by EFCC

Order and counter order over Yahaya Bello’s attempted arrest by EFCC

The conflicting judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja and Kogi State High Court in Lokoja on Wednesday over the arrest of the immediate past Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello, had left citizens in confusion.

While the Kogi State High Court earlier on Wednesday gave a judgment restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from harassing, detaining or prosecuting Bello, a counter judgment of Abuja High Court  ordered his arrest for arraignment in court on Thursday.

Justice I.A Jamil of the State High Court IV gave the restraining order in a two-hour judgement delivered in suit no HCL/68/M/2020 in Lokoja at about 12pm Wednesday.

“By this order, the EFCC is hereby restrained from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the applicant,” he said.

Hours later, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the arrest of Bello for arraignment in court on Thursday.

This was in spite of an existing restraining order and a court judgement against such move.

The EFCC had appealed against the initial order, and the appeal was scheduled for hearing on April 22. (Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/175/2024: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission v. Alhaji Yahaya Bello).

Justice Emeka Nwite, who gave the order of arrest, said that by the Act establishing the EFCC, it had the power to arrest with or without a warrant of arrest.

He said that the EFCC “had tried” to serve him with notice of arraignment.

The Yahaya Bello Media Office had in a statement signed by Onogwu Mohammed on Wednesday alerted the nation to a siege on the former governor’s Abuja residence.