N100bn Fraud: Former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello Faces Amended Corruption Charges

Former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bellow has been listed to face amended corruption charges by the EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed amended corruption charges against former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and his associates, including his Chief of Staff, Alli Bello, and Dauda Suleman.

VerseNews reports that the corruption charges allege the diversion of approximately N100 billion belonging to the state government back in September 2015, just months before Bello assumed office as governor.

In a courtroom drama, Alli Bello and Dauda Suleman vehemently pleaded not guilty to the seventeen-count amended charge before Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja, maintaining their innocence in the face of the allegations.

Meanwhile, objections arose from Alli Bello’s counsel, Abubakar Aliyu, citing a failure by the EFCC to comply with Section 218 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 regarding the serving of the amended charge.

However, the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, countered the argument, asserting that the court had already endorsed the amendment.

Moreso, Justice James Omotoso emphasized the need for an accelerated hearing in the matter while also ordering that objections be deferred until the address stage and the charges were fully presented.

Moreover, Justice Omotoso upheld the bail conditions previously granted to Alli Bello and Dauda Suleman, ensuring their continued liberty during the legal proceedings.

The charges leveled against the accused include allegations of conspiring to convert a staggering N80,246,470,089 to their personal use, as well as violations of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011.

However, in other charges Alli Bello and Dauda Suleman face accusations of concealing substantial amounts of money with a Bureau De Change operator in Abuja.