The Nigerian Bar Association on Tuesday said lawyers who stormed the Supreme Court premises to protest the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s handling its case against Yahaya Bello are not members of the association.
About 500 lawyers under the umbrella of Judicial Watchdog on Monday showing support for the former Kogi State governor, denounced the EFCC’s quest to arrest and prosecute Mr. Bello facing charges of money laundering.
But in a short notice to journalists on Tuesday, the NBA through its National Publicity Secretary, Habeeb Lawal, disowned the protesters, saying they were not lawyers.
The notice reads: “The above report refers. The Nigerian Bar Association is aware that some news outlets have reported this news.
“Please be informed that while the NBA respects the rights of citizens to assemble and protest, we insist that this particular group of persons are not lawyers. For completeness, their supposed leader or convener Sylvanus K. Alewu is not a name known to us,” he said.
Meanwhile in continuation of the case against Bello Tuesday at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja counsel to the embattled former governor said his client was afraid of being arrested hence his decision to be absent in court.
According to Adeola Adedipe SAN,
Mr. Bello has expressed his willingness to be in court, but was worried about a pending arrest order.
“The defendant wants to come to court but he is afraid that there is an order of arrest hanging on his head,” Adedipe said before Justice Emeka Nwite presiding.
EFCC lawyer Kemi Pinhero SAN offered to vacate the arrest order so that Mr. Bello can appear in person to answer for the N80B money laundering charge brought against him.
Justice Nwite adjourned the case till May 10 for the ruling.
Maikyau