Court Rejects Yahaya Bello’s Request to Travel Abroad for Medical Treatment, Gives Reason

The Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a request by former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello for the release of his international passport to enable him to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. Ruling on the application on Monday, Justice Emeka Nwite said the medical report submitted to support Bello’s request was not signed and therefore lacked legal validity.

Bello is currently facing a money laundering case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). His counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, had told the court that the former governor has been hypertensive for about 15 years and required medical attention abroad. Daudu submitted two medical reports marked as Exhibits A and B, urging the court to exercise discretion in favour of the defendant.

The EFCC, represented by lead counsel Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, argued that the application was an abuse of court process, claiming that a similar motion was already before the FCT High Court and that the sureties in the case were not informed of the new application.

Justice Nwite dismissed the EFCC’s abuse of process claim, stating that both the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court are courts of coordinate jurisdiction. He further held that the case before him was between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Yahaya Bello, not between the state and his sureties, and that the prosecution failed to cite any legal provision requiring sureties to be notified.

However, the judge emphasized that the unsigned medical report—Exhibit B—rendered the application deficient. “An unsigned document carries no weight in law and is considered worthless,” Justice Nwite said. He ruled that Bello had failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the release of his passport.

The court has adjourned the case to continue the trial on October 7, October 10, November 10, and November 11.