A Federal High Court has turned down the Kogi State former Governor, Yahaya Bello, second request to retrieve his international passport ahead of a medical trip abroad.
The court stated that the medical report submitted by the former governor in support of the request lacked evidence value to indicate reasons for the foreign trip.
The Presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ruled against the application on Monday, days after another court had turned down Bello’s request to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) for medical checkup.
“The court cannot rely on an unsigned document,” the judge declared, adding, “In other words, Exhibit B is devoid of probative value and cannot be relied upon by the Court.”
Bello, who is currently on trial over alleged money laundering brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had applied through his legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Joseph Daudu, seeking temporary release of his travel documents.
Daudu cited chronic hypertension and presented two documents, Exhibits A and B, to back the plea for medical treatment abroad.
While the court rejected the EFCC’s argument that the motion was a rehash of previous applications and constituted an abuse of process, it held that the unsigned Exhibit B failed to meet legal standards for consideration.
The judge further dismissed EFCC’s claim that Bello’s bail sureties should have been notified, saying, “The prosecution failed to cite any legal provision, local or international, that mandates such notification or inclusion of sureties.”
Justice Nwite also clarified that although Bello had earlier secured bail from both the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court, with the latter imposing a travel restriction, the two courts are of equal jurisdiction, and seeking relief from one does not amount to a procedural breach.
Ultimately, the judge concluded that the defence had not presented sufficient grounds for granting the request. “Consequently, this application is hereby refused,” he ruled.
However, the trial is set to resume on October 7 and 10, and again on November 10 and 11, 2025.
