In a dramatic courtroom session, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Adeola Adedipe applied to withdraw his representation of former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who is embroiled in a 19-count charge of alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to N80.2 billion.
The application was made during Thursday’s proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) urged the court to sanction Bello’s legal team for failing to produce their client in court for his scheduled arraignment.
Lead EFCC counsel, Mr. Kemi Pinhero, SAN, argued that the defense lawyers had repeatedly breached professional conduct rules, notably Order 31(3) of the Rules of Professional Conduct, which mandates that any lawyer failing to comply with a court undertaking is in contempt and guilty of misconduct.
Pinhero emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, “If a Chief Justice of Nigeria can be docked before an inferior tribunal, who then is an SAN or a former governor in terms of status? Even a former President of the United States of America was docked. These senior lawyers have been helping the defendant to treat this court with scorn.”
He called for the immediate docking and summary punishment of Adedipe, arguing that such action would preserve the judiciary’s integrity and serve as a stern warning against such conduct.
Adedipe, in response, denied being the lead counsel and making any undertaking to ensure Bello’s presence in court. He accused the prosecution of malice and claimed the EFCC disrespected the court by failing to execute the arrest warrant for Bello.
“My lord, the narration by the prosecution counsel is very untrue and it is accentuated by malice. I am not the lead counsel in this matter,” Adedipe stated, adding that his team had already informed the court they were unaware of Bello’s whereabouts.
Adedipe invoked section 349(8) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, to justify his withdrawal from the case, citing the prosecution’s narrative as unfairly targeting him.
Despite Adedipe’s arguments, the EFCC counsel insisted it was too late for the defense lawyer to withdraw and urged the court to set an example by docking him.
Justice Emeka Nwite has yet to make a ruling on the application and the prosecution’s request for disciplinary action against Adedipe. The case continues to attract significant attention, highlighting the high stakes involved in the prosecution of public officials accused of corruption.
