The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled May 10 for the ruling on former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello's request to overturn the arrest warrant issued against him on April 17. Justice Emeka Nwite set the date after arguments were presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Bello's lawyer, Adeola Adedipe.
The arrest warrant was issued by Justice Nwite following an ex-parte application made by the EFCC's lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo. The EFCC also applied for a substituted service of its charges and evidence against Bello after his lead lawyer, Abdulwahab Mohammed, declined to receive the documents in court.
Adedipe argued that the arrest warrant should be set aside suo motu as it was issued before the charges were presented. He emphasized the need for fairness, stating that Bello should not be prejudiced by the warrant hanging over him before being served with the charges, as required by Section 394 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
However, Pinheiro countered that the warrant could only be vacated after Bello is arraigned and takes his plea. He emphasized the need for Bello to appear in court for the process to proceed.
