A KOGI State High Court sitting in Lokoja has summoned the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, to provide justification for why he should not be subjected to committal order for allegedly breaking a court order regarding the state’s former governor Yahaya Bello.
The court ordered Olukoyede to appear before it on May 13.
The EFCC boss is facing a contempt charge for carrying out “some acts upon which they (the EFCC) have been restrained” by the court on February 9, pending the determination of the substantive originating motion.
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The judge, I. A. Jamil, in his ruling in suit no: HCL/68M/2024 and motion no: HCL/190M/2024, requested that “the said act was carried out by the respondent (EFCC) in violation of the order, which was valid and subsisting when they carried out the act.
The judge’s decision was based on a motion ex-parte that Bello filed through his lawyer, M.S. Yusuf, asking the court to issue and serve Form 49 Notice, which requires the respondent (the EFCC chairman) to justify why an order of committal on him should not be imposed.
After hearing the applicant’s attorney’s arguments, reviewing the written address submission, and reviewing the evidence, Jamil granted Bello’s requests and ordered Olukoyede to be called before the court to address the contempt charge.
The ICIR reported that EFCC operatives stormed Bello’s Abuja home on Wednesday, April 17, to arrest him.
The planned arrest on the alleged sleaze he perpetrated while in office.
However, the arrest was unsuccessful, as multiple reports say the Kogi State governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, smuggled out the former governor.
Ododo drove into Bello’s residence while the EFCC surrounded the building.
According to reports, the development forced the commission’s operatives to leave Bello’s residence.
The ICIR reported that there was confusion when the EFCC obtained a warrant for Bello’s arrest from a Federal High Court in Abuja after another judgment from the Kogi State High Court prevented the commission from enforcing the arrest.
The Abuja order was in preparation for his planned arraignment on Thursday, April 18, though he had not yet been arrested.
Emeka Nwite, a justice of the Federal High Court, granted Bello’s arrest warrant on Wednesday, April 17, at the EFCC’s request.
The Abuja ruling contradicted the judgement obtained by Bello in Kogi State.
The Kogi order restrained the commission from arresting, detaining, and prosecuting the state’s former governor.
The EFCC is prosecuting Bello and others on an amended 17-count charge of money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of N84 billion.
After failing to appear in court, the EFCC declared Bello wanted.
A reporter with the ICIR
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