The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who is facing a 19-count charge, has pleaded with Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court to transfer his case to the Lokoja Division of the High Court, News About Nigeria reports.
He made this plea through his counsel on Thursday after failing to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja to enter his plea to the charge against him.
The ex-governor, in the letter he wrote through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Abdulwahab Mohammed, SAN, maintained that only the Lokoja Division of the high court has the territorial jurisdiction to entertain the allegations that were raised against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Adeola Adedipe, SAN, who announced his appearance for Bello after the matter was called brought the attention of trial Justice Emeka Nwite to the letter his client wrote to the CJ.
“My lord, after the proceedings of the last adjourned date, I went back and gave a report of what happened in court to our team.
“However, I was made to understand that a letter had been written on behalf of the defendant to the honourable Chief Judge of the Federal High Court requesting, in substance, that this matter be administratively transferred to the Federal High Court, Lokoja Judicial Division, which we believe has territorial jurisdiction to handle this matter.
“That letter was received at the Chief Judge’s Chambers and the office of the honourable CJ wrote the prosecution team through Mr. Iseoluwa Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, on June 13, notifying him that administrative steps have been activated, and he was directed to provide a response to the request for transfer of the matter.
“My lord, as of this morning, I am not aware whether there has been a response by the prosecution team in compliance with the directive of the CJ.
“We are also not in receipt of any decision that has been made on this request by the CJ,” he stated.
EFCC, through its counsel, Mr. Kemi Pinhero, SAN, however, urged the court to compel the defence lawyer to explain why the defendant was not in court, despite an undertaking he made on June 13 to ensure his presence in court for arraignment.
He prayed the court to dismiss “the story of the defence lawyer as dilatory and a further attempt to treat this court with scorn.”
The EFCC counsel also argued that the letter to the CJ did not discharge the undertakings that were made by the senior lawyers representing the defendant.
The former governor maintained that the EFCC acted in breach of a subsisting judgement of a High Court in Kogi State when it entered the charge against him and also applied for a bench warrant to be issued for his arrest.
