Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, threatened to send back the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC’s) case file in the charge against the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Kogi Government, Ali Bello, to the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho, for reassignment.

Justice Omotosho said this following a complaint by Bello’s counsel, Abubakar Aliyu, SAN, accusing the EFCC of publishing untrue accounts of what transpired in court on the last adjourned date on its website against his client.

The anti-graft agency filed the charges in 2022, accusing Bello and Dauda Sulaiman of fraud involving alleged diversion of funds from the Kogi State Government coffers.

While Bello is the 1st defendant, Sulaiman is the 2nd defendant in the 10-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/550/2022.

Aliyu had told the court that he had a complaint to make on his client’s behalf. He said: “The prosecutor is subjecting my client (Bello) to mob justice by making publications” that were allegedly untrue.

The lawyer alleged that the publication, which was on EFCC’s website, was distributed to other social media.

“They (EFCC) said the 1st defendant made a payment of the house at Ikogosi Close in Maitama District and after he discovered that the house was under investigation by EFCC, he now returned the documents back,” Aliyu said.

He said his client told him that he did not buy the property contrary to the allegation.

The lawyer, who gave a copy of the printout to the court, also said a copy had already been served on the Commission’s counsel.

Responding after he went through the copy, EFCC’s lawyer, Abbas Muhammed, said he could not verify the authenticity at the moment.

“I have seen the publication. At this point my Lord, I cannot verify. I will have to verify with the media team,” he said.

The judge then gave him the go-ahead to verify and report back to the court in the next adjourned date.

“I want to say this, on the reportage of these proceedings. I won’t take it if it continues this way.

“I am going to take all your files and send back to the CJ for reassignment.

“It is not only against the defendant but against the court,” the Judge said.