A federal high court in Abuja has rejected a request to cancel an arrest warrant issued against Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi state.
The judge, Emeka Nwite, criticized Bello for filing applications while failing to appear in court.
He accused Bello of trying to derail the case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 charges related to alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misuse of funds totaling N80.2 billion.
Despite obtaining a warrant of arrest on April 17, Bello was absent at the scheduled arraignment on April 18. His counsel argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to issue the warrant due to a previous injunction from the Kogi high court.
However, the judge ordered that Bello be served the charges through his lawyers. At the latest court session on May 10, Judge Nwite criticized Bello for his disregard for the court and refusal to appear for trial. He emphasized that Bello’s actions were an attempt to obstruct justice and prevent the court from proceeding with the case.
The judge ruled that no applications could be heard until Bello appeared in court to enter his plea.