Court Denies Yahaya Bello’s Request to Travel Abroad Citing Invalid Medical Document

Jul 21, 2025

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A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected the application of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, seeking the release of his international passport to enable him to travel overseas for medical care.

Justice Emeka Nwite ruled against the request on Monday, stating that the medical report submitted in support of the application lacked credibility as it was not signed by the issuing doctor, rendering it inadmissible.

Bello is currently standing trial on an alleged N80.2 billion fraud brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He had asked the court to permit him to retrieve his passport in order to receive treatment in the United Kingdom.

He had also made a similar request before the FCT High Court in Maitama, where he is facing related charges before Justice Maryanne Anenih. However, the judge in that case pointed out that the passport was in the custody of the Federal High Court and not available for her court to release, making the application ineffective.

The EFCC opposed Bello’s application, describing it as an abuse of court process due to similar requests being made in two different courts at the same time, potentially leading to conflicting rulings.

Delivering his decision, Justice Nwite disagreed with the EFCC on the issue of abuse of process, noting that both courts had previously granted the defendant bail and were of coordinate jurisdiction. He also dismissed the argument that Bello’s sureties should have been involved in the motion, pointing out that no law—local or international—requires their inclusion in such an application.

However, the judge ruled that the unsigned medical document submitted by Bello’s legal team could not be considered valid.

“The unsigned document has no probative value and cannot be relied upon,” Justice Nwite stated.

As a result, he concluded that Bello had not presented sufficient grounds to warrant the release of his passport and dismissed the application.

The case has been adjourned to continue on October 7, 10, and November 10 and 11, 2025.