Ahead of the start of the trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello on charges of money laundering, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, sent bomb detectors to the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.

Nobody, including court employees, was permitted to enter the courtroom until a comprehensive search for potential explosive materials had been completed by the bomb detectors, who joined other heavily armed commission agents.

Our correspondent, who arrived at court early noted that it took almost half an hour for the search to be completed before the courtroom was opened to attorneys and reporters.

Access to the courtroom was denied to anyone without a direct function.

Our correspondent saw that security personnel quickly took control of the court complex’s security from the main gate after arriving on the court grounds as early as 7:30 am in a variety of car brands.

The former governor and attorneys for the federal government were kindly advised to wait for customary security measures to be completed at the entrance of court 8, where the trial will take place.

Only individuals with business in the courtroom were allowed entry after the search was completed.

At the time of this report, Yahaya Bello had arrived at the courtroom, waiting for the hearings to start, wearing his typical white babanriga and matching multicolored headgear.

Although the EFCC’s reasons for taking these actions were not immediately clear, reports indicate that they were part of a coordinated effort by security agencies to prevent criminals from posing a threat to the court’s order.

As you may remember, on Friday, December 13, 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted Bello N500 million bail with two sureties in an equivalent amount.

He has since been coming for trial from his house.

He is facing an alleged money laundering trial involving N80 billion but has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The defendant is being led by Joseph Daudu, SAN, while the EFCC legal team is headed by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, before Justice Emeka Nwite.