The Court of Appeal has directed former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to present himself for arraignment, overturning an earlier decision by the Kogi State High Court.

This ruling, delivered on Tuesday, prevents Bello from taking any further actions regarding the charges against him until he has been formally arraigned.

Bello has been in hiding since April 17th, when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) attempted to arrest him at his Abuja residence. The arrest attempt was interrupted by the current Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, who intervened and prevented the EFCC from taking Bello into custody.

The former governor is facing charges from the EFCC for allegedly misappropriating over N80 billion during his eight-year tenure as governor. The Appeal Court’s ruling is a significant step in the legal proceedings against Bello, requiring him to respond to the allegations formally.