Another Court Rejects Yahaya Bello’s Request To Travel Abroad For Medical Treatment

A Federal High Court in Abuja has turned down a request by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to travel abroad for medical care, citing an unsigned medical report as the reason for rejection.

Justice Emeka Nwite, who gave the ruling on Monday, said the court could not rely on a medical report that wasn’t signed by the issuing doctor, rendering the document invalid.

Yahaya Bello, who is currently facing a 19-count charge over alleged money laundering involving ₦80.2 billion, had filed a request on June 20 asking the court to release his passport so he could travel to the UK for treatment.

His lawyer, Joseph Daudu, argued that a cardiologist had referred Bello to a hospital in the United Kingdom and noted that the former governor never left Nigeria during his eight years in office.

He presented two documents outlining Bello’s health condition and promised that his client would return before the trial resumed.

However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opposed the request, saying the health issues mentioned in the application, such as high blood pressure and low potassium, were not life-threatening and could be treated in Nigeria.

The prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro, also pointed out that Bello had filed a similar application at an FCT High Court, where he is facing a separate case, calling the move an abuse of court process.

However, Justice Nwite disagreed with the EFCC on that point, stating that the application did not amount to an abuse since both courts have the same level of authority and had earlier directed Bello to seek court permission before traveling.

“It is not in dispute that the applicant is standing trial before this court and the FCT court. And it is not in dispute that the applicant was granted bail in this court on December 13, 2024 and at the FCT high court on December 19, 2024.

“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.

“It is also the fact that this court and the FCT high court are courts of coordinate jurisdiction,” he said.

The judge also dismissed the argument that Yahaya Bello should have informed his sureties about his travel plans, noting that no law requires such a step.

“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.

“The counsel did not cite any law, whether locally or internationally, to back his argument,” he said.

Despite that, the court said the unsigned medical report presented by Bello made the entire application weak and unsupported by credible evidence.

“The defendant has failed to place sufficient material before this court for his passport to be released for him to travel. Consequently, this application is hereby refused,” Nwite ruled.

The judge adjourned the case to October 7 and 10, as well as November 10 and 11, 2025, for continuation of trial.

KanyiDaily recalls that a high court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama previously rejected Yahaya Bello’s request to travel abroad for medical treatment.