Kaduna court rejects bail for suspect facing multiple fraud trials

A Federal High Court in Kaduna has refused to grant bail to Bashir Ibrahim Bello, who is standing trial in three separate financial crime cases and has more than 400 petitions pending against him with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice R.M. Aikawa delivered the ruling on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, in one of Bello’s ongoing cases.

The judge cited the seriousness of the allegations and the high risk of the defendant absconding due to his multiple prosecutions.

Bello, Managing Director of Formal Act Legacy Limited, is being prosecuted by the EFCC for allegedly obtaining money under false pretences, laundering funds, and retaining proceeds of crime amounting to about N30 billion.

He was first arraigned on October 29, 2025, on a seven-count charge (FHC/KD/316C/2025).

He was again brought before the court on November 3 on an eight-count charge (FHC/KD/285C/2025), and on November 6 on a five-count charge in another case (FHC/KD/246CC/2025).

During Tuesday’s hearing, EFCC counsel F.A.I. Asemebo argued against the bail request, insisting that granting the defendant bail would pose a flight risk given the scale of allegations and the volume of petitions still under investigation.

Bello was arrested on April 28, 2025, following a flood of complaints from individuals who claimed he defrauded them through false representations.

The EFCC, through its spokesperson Dele Oyewale, confirmed the court’s decision and reiterated that investigations into the numerous petitions against the suspect are ongoing.