Court Refuses To Vacate Arrest Warrant On Yahaya Bello
POLITICS DIGEST- Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has refused to set aside the order of warrant of arrest issued on April 17, against the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Justice Nwite made the order on Friday in a ruling on an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to the effect that the court should not hear any preliminary objection by the former Governor until he appears in court to take plea on a 19-count charge filed against him by the EFCC.
Bello had equally filed an application through his lawyer, Abdulwahab Mohammed, seeking the setting aside of the warrant of arrest issued against him by the court.
But in his ruling, Justice Nwite agreed with the EFCC lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro, that no application from Bello would be taken untill he appears in court to take plea.
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“The application of the complainant (EFCC) is “Meritorious and granted as prayed” Justice Nwite held.
According to the court, the law is trite that a party in disobedience of a valid court order should not be given the opportunity to be heard by a court until the party obeys the order.
The judge stated that it would have been more “honourable” for former Governor Bello to obey the court by appearing for his arraignment on April 17, 18 or 23, stressing that an order of court subsists and is binding until set aside by a superior court on appeal.
Justice Nwite said the “deliberate refusal” of Bello to appear in court is targeted “to avoid arraignment and an attempt to frustrate” this court from doing it’s adjudicatory work.
“The defendant cannot sit in the comfort of his home and dictate what he wants the court to do.
“The defendant clearly has shown no atom of regard and respect for the court, and is taking this court for granted by disobeying and frustrating judicial proceedings, the court held.
