The Federal High Court in Abuja has denied former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello’s request to stay proceedings in his N80.2 billion fraud case pending an appeal.
The court also asked the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to investigate Bello’s lawyers, Ademola Adedipe and Abdulwahab Mohammed, for professional misconduct.
Justice Emeka Nwite had previously set a ruling date for the EFCC’s motion to hold Bello’s lawyers, in contempt of court.
However, during the hearing, Bello’s counsel requested a stay of proceedings, citing pending appeals challenging the court’s jurisdiction and demanded that the court expunge the records of the June 27, 2024 proceedings, arguing that the appeals had been filed before that date.
But the Judge found that Bello’s lawyers had failed to produce their client in court as promised on multiple occasions and emphasized that lawyers must treat the court with dignity.
