The Federal High Court Abuja, has tackled the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, accusing him of attempting to truncate the criminal case that was initiated against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The Court, in the ruling delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, on Friday, restated the order it made on April 17, which directed security agencies to arrest and produce him before it to answer to the 19-count charge that is pending against him, National Daily Newspaper gathered.
According to the court, the former governor, by briefing lawyers to challenge its jurisdiction to try him, while he remained in hiding, showed that he “has no atom of respect and regard for the court.”
It held that Bello’s decision to file the application “is clearly showing his intention not to present himself for trial,” stressing that he ought to have made himself available upon becoming aware of the order of arrest that was issued against him.
“The law is settled that he who disobeyed an order of court and shown disrespect to the court cannot expect a favourable discretion of the court.
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“The honorable thing the defendant would have done was to obey the order of court by making himself available.
“Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, mandates all persons and authority to give effect to orders of court.
“He has wilfully disobeyed the order of this court.
An order of court of competent jurisdiction, no matter how it was obtained, subsists until it is set aside, National Daily Newspaper gathered.