Mr. Abdulwahab Mohammed (SAN), counsel to the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, said the decision of his client to hole up was born out of fear of being killed.
Mohammed declared this on Friday at a court session at the Federal High Court over the arraignment of Bello in respect of the 19-count money laundering charge, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) slammed against the fugitive former governor.
The lawyer dismissed suggestion that Bello is evading prosecution, saying the motive behind his fleeing was fear of being murdered.
He also promised the court to bring the immediate-past Kogi governor before the court on June 13.
“Our client is not afraid to attend court in respect of the charge. But, he fears for his life,” Mohammed told the court, adding, “By the information he has, he is afraid and fears for his life. Will the complainant not arrest him when he comes to court? This is one of the issues.”
The EFCC and defence lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, pushed back at Bello’s claim, saying, “The EFCC will not kill your client. We have never killed anyone before.”
Justice Emeka Nwite in his ruling held that Bello should not have disrespect the court by failing to appear before it before making any application.
He added that even if the arrest warrant was illegally obtained, the defendant should have still shown up in court.
The judge had fixed Friday for the ruling on the ex-governor’s application to set aside the arrest warrant against him.
