Court Rejects Ex-Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello's Request to Travel Abroad for Medical Treatment

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has denied former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello's request for the release of his international passport to seek medical treatment abroad.

Delivering the ruling on Monday, Justice Nwite held that the medical report presented in support of Bello's application was inadmissible because it was unsigned and therefore lacked legal validity.

Bello is currently standing trial on charges of money laundering filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

While rejecting the request, the judge, however, dismissed the prosecution's claim that Bello's application amounted to an abuse of court process.

Bello's counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, had argued that his client had suffered from hypertension for over 15 years and submitted medical reports marked as Exhibits A and B to support the plea. He urged the court to exercise discretion in Bello's favour.

The court, however, found the supporting documents insufficient, stressing that Exhibit B—the medical report—was not signed and thus lacked evidential value.

The prosecution urged the court to dismiss the motion, arguing that the reliefs sought were repetitive, and the application was procedurally flawed since Bello's sureties had not been informed.

Justice Nwite disagreed, stating that the case was between Yahaya Bello and the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), not his sureties. He ruled that there was no legal requirement to notify or include the sureties in the motion.

"The complainant's counsel failed to cite any local or international law that mandates including sureties in such applications," Justice Nwite stated.

He also ruled that the application did not amount to an abuse of court process, as both the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court are courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

"It is undisputed that the applicant is standing trial before this court and the FCT High Court. He was granted bail by both courts—on December 13, 2024, by this court, and December 19, 2024, by the FCT High Court. The latter required leave of court before international travel, hence this application," the judge clarified.

Nonetheless, Justice Nwite emphasised that Exhibit B had no probative value due to the absence of a signature and therefore could not be relied upon by the court.

"In other words, Exhibit B is devoid of probative value and cannot be relied upon. The defendant has failed to provide sufficient material evidence to warrant the release of his passport for international travel," he ruled.

"Consequently, this application is hereby refused," Justice Nwite declared.

The trial was adjourned to October 7 and 10, and November 10 and 11, 2025, for continuation of proceedings.