The former Governor of Kogi State, on Wednesday, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, pleaded not guilty to a 16-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bello appeared before Justice Maryann Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, alongside two other defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The defendants faced charges of involvement in a N110 billion fraud.
It is worth recalling that the former governor’s location had been unknown until yesterday, when he finally surrendered after a prolonged game of hide-and-seek with the anti-graft agency.
Wearing a white caftan and a blue cap, Bello appeared in the dock around 9:45 am.
The charges against the defendants, identified as CR/7781, include conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and possession of unlawfully obtained property.
Specifically, the EFCC alleged that the former governor misappropriated state funds to acquire properties, including: No. 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja (N950 million); No. 1160 Cadastral Zone C03, Gwarimpa II District, Abuja (N100 million); and No. 2 Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Street, Asokoro, Abuja (N920 million).
Other properties the defendants are accused of acquiring with funds allegedly misappropriated from the Kogi State treasury include: Block D Manzini Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N170 million); Hotel Apartment Community: Burj Khalifa, Dubai (Five Million, Six Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Eight Dirhams); Block 18, Gwelo Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N60 million); and No. 9 Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N310.4 million).
Additionally, the defendants are accused of transferring $570,330 and $556,265 to TD Bank, USA, and possessing unlawfully obtained property, including N677.8 million from Bespoque Business Solution Limited.