A Nigerian Lawyer and APC Chieftain, Jesutega Onokpasa has criticized the EFCC Chairman for shifting the legal proceedings surrounding Yahaya Bello from the courtroom to the public sphere through a press conference, which he deemed as disrespectful to the judiciary.
He emphasized the importance of respecting court orders and legal processes, stating that no individual, not even the President of Nigeria, should consider themselves above the law. Referring to a specific ruling from the Kogi State High Court, he highlighted that there was a clear directive preventing the arrest, prosecution, and detention of Yahaya Bello. He stated that this directive was considered an interim order, and the proper course of action would have been for the EFCC to seek the court's permission to overturn it. He accused the EFCC of violating the law by deploying personnel to Bello's residence despite the existing court order prohibiting his arrest.
He said in an interview with TVC, ''The EFCC Chairman took the case from the court of law to the Court of Public Opinion by calling the press. It was so disrespectful to the Court. As lawyers when you are in court, everybody respects the court and you wait for the court. There is nobody that is too big not to wait for the court. Not even the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Kogi State High Court explicitly stated that you cannot arrest Yahaya Bello, you cannot prosecute him and you cannot detain him. It was an interim order and the only solution is to apply to that court to vacate the order. The EFCC mobilized their men to his house when there was a standing order stopping them from arresting him. The EFCC broke the law.''