Court Rejects Yahaya Bello’s Medical Travel Request
The Federal High Court in Abuja has once again declined the request of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to retrieve his international passport for the purpose of travelling abroad for medical treatment.
Justice Emeka Nwite, delivering the ruling on Monday, stated that the medical report submitted in support of Bello’s application lacked legal credibility as it was not signed by its issuer. The court maintained that unsigned documents hold no probative value and therefore cannot influence judicial decisions.
“The defendant has failed to present sufficient evidence for the court to grant his request for the release of his passport. Consequently, this application is hereby refused,” the judge ruled.
Bello, who is facing trial over alleged money laundering charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had sought the court’s permission to travel to the United Kingdom for medical attention. His counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), argued that the former governor has battled hypertension for over 15 years and tendered two exhibits — Exhibits A and B — which he claimed were expert reports on Bello’s health status.
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Daudu urged the court to exercise its discretion in Bello’s favour, noting that adequate materials had been presented to justify the request.
However, lead EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), opposed the motion, describing it as an abuse of court process. He argued that the application mirrored a similar one already before the FCT High Court and was procedurally defective because Bello’s sureties were not informed.
Justice Nwite disagreed with that position, affirming that the sureties were not parties to the application and that there is no law requiring them to be notified or joined in such a motion.
He also dismissed the EFCC’s claim that the motion was an abuse of court process, stating that the matter before the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court are being handled by courts of coordinate jurisdiction. He emphasized that since the FCT High Court had only required Bello to seek leave of court before travelling, his application before the Federal High Court could not be deemed improper.
Despite these clarifications, the court ruled that the core of the application — the medical report marked as Exhibit B — was fundamentally flawed due to its lack of signature.
Justice Nwite subsequently adjourned the case to October 7, October 10, November 10, and November 11 for the continuation of trial.
By PRNigeria
