Breaking: Court restates arrest of Yahaya Bello in fresh order

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday gave a fresh order for the arrest of former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

It stated that the ex-governor had no regard for the court by failing to appear before it.

He was lampooned for attempting to truncate a criminal case initiated against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Emeka Nwite restated the order it made on April 17, which directed security agencies to arrest and produce him to answer to the 19 counts slammed against him.

According to the court, the former governor, by briefing lawyers to challenge its jurisdiction to try him, while he remained in hiding, showed that he “has no atom of respect and regard for the court.”

It held that Bello’s decision to file the application “is clearly showing his intention not to present himself for trial”.

“The law is settled that he who has disobeyed an order of court and shown disrespect to the court cannot expect a favourable discretion of the court.

“The honourable thing the defendant would have done was to obey the order of court by making himself available.

“Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, mandates all persons and authority to give effect to orders of court.

“He has wilfully disobeyed the order of this court. An order of court of competent jurisdiction, no matter how it was obtained, subsists until it is set aside.

“A party who refuses to obey an order of court after becoming aware of it, is in contempt of court.

“He is not entitled to be heard or granted a favourable discretion. The refusal of the defendant to make himself available is solely to truncate the arraignment and prevent the court from proceeding further in this case.”

Justice Nwite held that Bello’s decision to treat the order of the court with levity was previously condemned by the Supreme Court.

“In view of the forgoing analysis, I am of the view and I so hold, that no application can be moved or heard unless the defendant is present before the court to take his plea,” the judge stated.

Bello, after eight years as Kogi State governor, is facing a charge bordering on his alleged complicity in money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of about N80.2bn.

Several students abducted as bandits attack Kogi varsity

On Thursday night, Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC), Osara, Okene in Kogi, fell victim to bandits who abducted several students.

According to a witness who spoke with NAN, the bandits arrived around 9:00 p.m. while students were studying for their exams. They entered three lecture halls through the bushes and fired shots into the air, causing panic among the students.

“They trapped the students inside the halls and started taking them; the school was thrown into total confusion as fear-stricken students in other halls scurried to safety, scampering in various directions.

“By the time local security guards and the conventional security men at the gate engaged the bandits, they had already succeeded in abducting some students.

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“But the efforts minimised the damage as the attackers didn’t go beyond the first three halls,” the source said.

DSS state directors meet in Kano over security threats

Security chiefs from the Directorate of State Services (DSS) convened in Kano State to address the escalating security challenges in the North West region and Nigeria.

Alhassan Muhammad, the DSS director in Kano, highlighted that the 14th Quarterly Conference of State Directors of Security in the North West Geopolitical Zone was convened under the directive of the DSS Director General, Yusuf Magaji Bichi. The aim was to tackle the spate of insecurity gripping the nation proactively.

Muhammad emphasized that the conference served as a platform for exchanging knowledge, sharing insights, and exploring innovative solutions to address the myriad security challenges prevalent in the region.

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He underscored the complexity of contemporary security concerns, ranging from cybersecurity threats to physical security challenges, terrorism, armed banditry, farmers’/herders clashes, youth restiveness, environmental tensions, and political disputes.

Muhammad stated, “The evolving security landscape necessitates collaboration, knowledge exchange, and strategic planning among security agencies and stakeholders.”

In his remarks, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf urged security agencies to intensify efforts to identify and apprehend individuals behind the country’s security challenges. He called for thorough intelligence gathering to uncover the perpetrators, regardless of their affiliations.

DSS state directors meet in Kano over security threats