The Justice Advocacy Forum, JAFO, has urged the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja in the case between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and a former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to grant his application to relocate the matter to the Lokoja Division of the Federal High Court due to jurisdictional consideration.
The former Governor had applied to the Chief Judge of FCT to get his case with EFCC to the Federal High Court, Lokoja, which has jurisdiction on the case. This is a usual practice whenever a defendant in a case feels the need to appear before a court that he deems impartial. More importantly is the fact that cases are tried within the jurisdiction where it happened.
A Press Release by the CSO signed by Engineer T. A. Omoniyi, today Monday, stated that: “The application by former Governor Yahaya Bello seeking to transfer his case from Abuja to the Lokoja Division of the Federal High Court is within his constitutional rights as a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in tune with due judicial processes. There is nothing new nor amiss in this regard. We, therefore, wish to state that for the sake of justice and transparent litigation, the former Governor should be granted his wish and done accordingly”
The Press Release went further to state that heeding Bello’s request would demonstrate the EFCC’s commitment to doing justice.
It said: “The EFCC-Yahaya Bello saga has gotten the attention of the general public and has raised many issues with regard to the propriety or otherwise of the ways in which the matter has been handled regarding following due legal procedures so far. It is in this regard that we view that if the defendant does not have full confidence in the ability of the current Court to dispense justice without compromising the case, it is only expedient that his application to appear before a Court that has proper jurisdiction on the case be granted without any let or hindrance. By this, everyone will see that the scales of justice have been balanced.
“If there is truly no political interest in this case to witchunt the former Governor, his request should be granted. After all, he is not asking to be tried outside Nigeria and he is not saying he shouldn’t be tried at all.
“This is a man whose rights have been blatantly violated to the extent that protective relieves he sought and secured from a court of competent jurisdiction have been ignored by the authorities.
“Therefore, it is difficult for him to submit himself before a court that he doesn’t have absolute confidence in. It is not the first time this type of application would be made in Nigeria as related to corruption allegations.
“It happened in the case of a former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, when his case had to be transferred to the Asaba Division of the Federal High Court for trial at his request. Therefore, this situation should not be different in order to ensure jurisdictional legitimacy of the trial.”
