The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed new 16-count charges related to fraud against Yahaya Bello, the former Governor of Kogi State, at an FCT High Court, as reported by Daily Trust.
The charges, filed by the Federal Government through EFCC counsels Kemi Pinheiro and Rotimi Oyedepo, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, along with seven other lawyers, also name Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalam Hudu as co-defendants.
These new charges follow Bello’s absence at an Abuja Federal High Court, where he was facing allegations of misappropriating N80.2 billion during his tenure as governor.
In a fresh charge sheet obtained on Wednesday night, the EFCC disclosed the discovery of additional alleged fraud involving the former governor, amounting to N110,446,470,089.
The charge sheet reads in part: “That you, YAHAYA ADOZA BELLO, UMAR SHUAIBU ORICHA, and ABDULSALAMI HUDU, sometime in 2016 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to commit an illegal act, namely, criminal breach of trust concerning the total sum of N110,446,470,089 entrusted to you.”