The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, restored the preservation order on 14 properties and N400m linked to the former governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello.
A preservation order is a court-issued directive that safeguards the subject matter of a lawsuit, ensuring it remains intact and unaffected by external factors while the case is being litigated.
The order is usually granted when there is a risk that one party might dispose of or tamper with the property in question, thereby undermining the litigation process.
Accordingly, with the restoration of the preservation order, the Appeal Court has effectively upheld the lower court’s earlier decision to protect the properties and maintain the status quo pending when the case will be resolved.
This move ensures that the integrity of the litigation process is preserved and that no party can unilaterally alter the situation to their advantage.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos had, on February 22, 2023, in a suit filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, ordered the preservation of the properties, including “Hotel Apartment Community, Burj Khalifa lying, being and situated at, Plot 160 Municipality NO 345-7562, Sky View Building No 1, Property No 401, Floor 4, Dubai U.A.E.”, as well as the fund reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activities.
The order was made pursuant to Sections 9 and 10 of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022.
The EFCC is prosecuting Bello on a 19-count charge, bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of N80.2 billion.
The charges are in violation of Section 18(a) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended).
The EFCC first declared Bello wanted in April 2024 after failed attempts to secure his arrest, but in September 2024, he appeared at the EFCC’s Abuja headquarters in the company of Governor Usman Ododo and was allowed to go without being detained.
Before his appearance, counsel to Yahaya Bello had informed the court that his client’s whereabouts were unknown, citing safety concerns.
However, the EFCC intensified its efforts following an August 20, 2024 ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which ordered Bello to present himself for prosecution.
The EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede alleged that Bello withdrew $720,000 from the Kogi State coffers to prepayment of his child’s school fees British Academy, Abuja.
