Former PDP national chairman, Bello, arrives court in wheelchair for corruption trial

Mohammed Bello, former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is currently in court 7 of the federal high court, Abuja, in a wheel chair.

Bello, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for corruption, was brought into the court a few minutes past 10am.

He clutched a string of praying beads and a walking stick, and would intermittently mutter words to himself.

Bello’s son, Abba, who is being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency, is also present in court, flanked by two EFCC operatives.

Bello and his son pleaded not guilty to four counts of criminal breach of trust and corruption to the tune of N300m preferred against them by EFCC.

The former national chairman of the PDP took his plea reclining in the wheel chair while his son stood in the accused box.

Ali Yusuf, counsel to EFCC, asked the court to remand Bello and his son, Abba, in prison custody, pending their trial.

But AA Osoka, counsel to Abba, prayed the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms, arguing that the accused person had been held for 41 days without trial.

He added that the offence was a bailable one, urging the court to make the conditions of bail flexible.

Also making his argument, Abdulaziz Ibrahim, counsel to Bello, stated that the respondent was ill, hence the need for bail.

Buttressing his argument, Ibrahim explained that Bello was conveyed from a hospital in Abuja to the court in an ambulance with two nurses on standby to attend to him in case of an emergency.

He therefore urged the court grant his client bail on self recognisance, and in the alternative grant him bail on liberal terms.

The judge postponed judgment on the bail application to Thursday, but remanded Abba in prison custody, and placed Bello under the supervision of the inspector-general of police.

Bello is among those being prosecuted by the EFCC for complicity in the arms purchase scandal.

The anti-graft agency in December 2015 arraigned Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA); Bashir Yuguda, former minister of state for finance; and Attahiru Bafarawa, former Sokoto state governor, at the federal capital territory high court, Abuja, for multiple counts of alleged criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of funds and money laundering.

Bello is alleged to have received N300m meant for the purchase of arms from Dasuki.

He is a former defence minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, and was appointed acting national chairman of the PDP in May, 2015.