A tense standoff erupted in a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday as lawyers for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello engaged in a heated argument, prompting the judge to walk out of the courtroom.
The drama unfolded during Bello’s arraignment on fraud charges totaling N82bn. The former governor’s legal team, led by Abdulwahab Mohammed, SAN, moved to exclude colleague Adeola Adedipe, SAN, from the proceedings, which was opposed by EFCC counsel Kemi Pinheiro, SAN.
The argument escalated as Bello’s lawyers sought a stay of proceedings, citing appeals filed at the Court of Appeal challenging the court’s jurisdiction.
They requested the court to expunge the proceedings of June 27 from the court records, citing that their appeals had been entered at the time of the proceedings.
Bello’s lawyers urged Justice Emeka Nwite to stay out of his trial until the Court of Appeal decides his appeal on jurisdiction.
However, the EFCC, through its counsel, opposed the request to suspend the trial. Pinheiro argued that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act did not support the request.
He cited sections 306 of ACJA and 40 of the EFCC Act to support his objections, stating that the authority cited by Bello only applies to civil matters, not criminal matters like the present case.
Justice Emeka Nwite, visibly frustrated, exited the courtroom, suspending the trial indefinitely.