A member of Bello''s legal team, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, said his client would have appeared in court but was worried about being taken into custody.

Counsel to former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has said that his client is ready to confront the Federal High Court in Abuja to face trial on the 19-count criminal charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

SaharaReporters reported earlier that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to serve a copy of the 19 criminal count charge against the former governor on his lawyer.

The order followed the absence of Bello in court for his arraignment, while relying on provisions of Section 382(4) and (5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The trial judge directed the lawyer, that announced an unconditional appearance for the defendant, Mr Abdulwab Mohammed, SAN, to receive a copy of the charge, on behalf of his client.

Justice Nwite had April 17, in ex-parte order granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission an order to immediately arrest and bring the former governor to court for arraignment.

But reacting to the order, a member of Bello''s legal team, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, said his client would have appeared in court but was worried about being taken into custody.

The defendant wants to come to court but he is afraid that there is an order of arrest hanging on his head," he said. 

He prayed the court to revoke the exparte order of arrest it had previously imposed on the former governor, adding that the charge had not been served on his client as required by law at the time the warrant of arrest was made.

Adedipe explained that it was today (Tuesday) during court proceedings that the court okayed substituted service of the charge on the defendant, through his lawyer which it ought to had made instead of an arrest warrant when the legal processes had not been completed. 

As at the time the warrant was issued, the order for substituted service had not been made. That order was just made this morning.

A warrant of arrest should not be hanging on his neck when we leave this court, counsel to the defendant added.

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