A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has denied former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello’s plea to have his international passport returned, which he claimed was necessary to enable travel to the United Kingdom for medical reasons.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling delivered on Monday, found that the medical documentation submitted to support the request lacked credibility, as it was not duly signed by the doctor who purportedly issued it.
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According to the judge, the unsigned medical report—marked as Exhibit B—held no legal merit. “In other words, Exhibit B is devoid of probative value and cannot be relied upon by the court,” he ruled, adding, “The defendant has failed to place sufficient materials before this court for his passport to be released for him to travel. Consequently, this application is hereby refused.”
While the prosecution argued that the application constituted an abuse of court process, the judge disagreed, noting that the defense was within its legal rights to file the motion.
Bello’s counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), had cited his client’s long-standing battle with hypertension as the basis for the travel request.
The prosecution also raised concern over the lack of involvement of the sureties in the motion, but Justice Nwite dismissed this argument, stating: “The counsel to the complainant did not cite any section of the law that says sureties should be given notice or made a party in the motion on notice.”
He further observed: “The FCT High Court, in its ruling, said that the applicant must seek the leave of the court. Hence, this instant application does not amount to abuse of court process.”
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter to October 7 for continuation of trial.The former governor is currently facing trial on charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly laundering N80.2 billion belonging to Kogi State, under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/98/2024.
