The federal government has filed a fresh 16-count charge against Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State. The new charges, submitted to a federal high court in Abuja on Wednesday, pertain to an alleged criminal breach of trust involving N110,446,470,089. This action violates sections 96 and 311 of the Penal Code Law Cap.89, Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963, and is punishable under Section 312 of the same law.
Bello, who is already facing a 19-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is joined in this latest case by two Kogi State officials, Abdulsalami Hudu and Umar Oricha. The charges allege that the defendants misappropriated state funds to acquire properties in upscale areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The charge sheet states that count one accuses Bello, Oricha, and Hudu of conspiring in 2016 to commit a criminal breach of trust involving over N110 billion. Subsequent counts detail various property acquisitions with state funds, including the alleged use of N950 million in 2023 to purchase a property at No. 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja (count two). In 2021, N100 million was reportedly spent on acquiring a property at No. 1160 Cadastral Zone CO3, Gwarimpa I District, Abuja (count three).
Additionally, the defendants are accused of spending N920 million in 2020 to acquire a property at No. 2 Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Street, Asokoro, Abuja (count four), and N170 million in 2022 for a property on Block D Manzini Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (count five).
Other counts outline similar allegations, including the purchase of properties in Wuse, Guzape, Maitama, and Wuse 2, along with a high-end property in Dubai valued at over 5.6 million dirhams in 2022 (count 11). Count 16 further alleges that Bello unlawfully controlled N677,848,000 from Bespoque Business Solutions Limited between 2017 and 2018.
These allegations underscore the misuse of both naira and foreign currency in acquiring various assets, compounding the legal challenges facing the former governor.
