On Thursday, June 27, former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, requested the Federal High Court in Abuja to transfer his fraud case to Kogi State. This case, brought against him by the federal government, involves allegations of a crime that reportedly took place in Kogi State.

Bello’s legal team made this request to Chief Judge Justice John Tsoho after the former governor failed to appear in court for the fifth consecutive time. The case involves allegations that Bello embezzled N82 billion during his tenure as governor.

During Thursday’s proceedings, Bello’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, informed Justice Emeka Nwite that his client had formally written to the Chief Judge, requesting that the trial be moved to Lokoja. Adedipe argued that Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, was the appropriate venue for the trial since the court there holds territorial jurisdiction over the alleged offenses.

It is worth recalling that on June 13, Bello’s legal team had assured the court that he would be present for the June 27 hearing. Despite this assurance, Bello once again did not appear.

In response to Bello’s repeated absences, the prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, has called for Bello’s lead counsel, Abdulwahab Mohammed, and Adeola Adedipe, both Senior Advocates, to be charged with contempt of court. The prosecution argues that Bello’s lawyers have misled the court by repeatedly promising to produce him and failing to do so.