Crime

Reasons Court Denies Yahaya Bello’s Request to Travel Abroad for Medical Treatment

Published by Tope Fakinlede on July 22nd, 2025.

Reasons Court Denies Yahaya Bello’s Request to Travel Abroad for Medical Treatment

Yahaya Bello

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has turned down a request by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to retrieve his international passport in order to seek medical care overseas.

Justice Emeka Nwite, delivering the ruling on Monday, rejected the application on the grounds that the medical document presented by Bello was not signed—rendering it invalid in the eyes of the law.

Bello is currently being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged money laundering case involving N80.2 billion. His legal team had sought the release of his passport so he could travel to the United Kingdom for health reasons.

While his counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), emphasized that Bello has battled hypertension for 15 years and submitted two documents—referred to as Exhibits A and B—as medical evidence, the court found the key report (Exhibit B) lacked credibility since it bore no signature from the medical expert who purportedly issued it.

“A document that lacks a signature from its author carries no legal weight,” Justice Nwite stated, ruling the medical report inadmissible and of no probative value.

In addressing the EFCC’s objection that the application was an abuse of court process, the judge disagreed, noting that the request was properly filed and did not flout any legal norms.

Justice Nwite also dismissed the argument that the sureties involved in Bello’s bail should have been notified before filing the request. According to him, the matter is strictly between the defendant and the state, and no law mandates including sureties in such proceedings.

Regarding claims that the request undermined an earlier directive from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama—where Bello is also facing related charges—Justice Nwite clarified that the current application was in line with that court’s instruction to seek permission before traveling.

Ultimately, the court concluded that there was insufficient medical evidence to justify granting the request and, as a result, denied the application.

The case was adjourned to October 7 and 10, and November 10 and 11, 2025,

for further hearing.