Alleged N80.2bn Fraud: EFCC Opposes Yahaya Bello’s Request to Travel Abroad for Medical Treatment

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has strongly opposed an application filed by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, seeking leave of court to travel abroad for medical treatment.

At the resumed hearing of Bello’s N80.2 billion money laundering trial on Thursday, before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, Bello’s counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, urged the court to grant the request on compassionate grounds, citing the defendant’s deteriorating health.

Daudu argued that the application was brought under Section 173(2)(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and the court’s inherent powers. He submitted a 22-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Bello, supported by a medical report and a letter from a consultant cardiologist.

He told the court that Bello had not travelled abroad in over eight years and now urgently requires treatment not available in Nigeria — not even in the medical facility he built himself.

“The issue is not whether there are hospitals in Nigeria, but whether the defendant is a flight risk. He is not. He has no criminal record abroad and is willing to return before the end of August. My lord may even impose a specific return date,” Daudu stated.

However, prosecuting counsel, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, objected firmly, calling the application an abuse of court process. He noted that Bello had filed similar motions before multiple courts, which he said was procedurally improper.

Pinheiro offered five key arguments against the request. He first questioned the technical competence of the motion, pointing out that Bello’s sureties were neither consulted nor included in the application — a significant oversight given their responsibility if the defendant absconds.

He also emphasized the transnational nature of the case. “This is a money laundering case involving properties in Dubai and accounts in the US and UK. The defendant is under international red notice and risks arrest and extradition. He could be ‘Hushpuppied’ from Dubai,” he warned, referencing the infamous cybercrime case.

Pinheiro discredited the medical report submitted by the defence, noting that the doctor who signed it failed to state his qualifications or specialization. He argued that the conditions listed, such as mild hypertension and low potassium levels, were manageable within Nigeria.

“He says he has low potassium — bananas and pawpaw can cure that. It is not a sufficient reason to flee to the UK,” Pinheiro said.

He also mocked the irony of Bello’s claim, recalling that the former governor had once commissioned an “ultra-modern” hospital in Kogi State. “Abuja to Lokoja is two hours. Let him use the hospital he built rather than take a six-hour flight abroad,” he added.

In his response, Daudu maintained that there was no legal requirement for the sureties to be parties to the application. He further argued that the red notice previously issued had lapsed after Bello’s formal arraignment in Nigeria. He urged the court to exercise discretion in the defendant’s favour.

Earlier in the proceedings, the cross-examination of Prosecution Witness 4 (PW4), Aryan Mashelia Bata, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank Plc, continued. The defence pressed him on his jurisdiction over several bank accounts entered into evidence, some of which were not under his direct supervision.

Addressing a prior concern raised by the prosecution, PW4 clarified that he had not been harassed by Bello’s security team, as earlier feared. “I want it on record that the issue was about seating. I eventually found one and have no problem with anyone,” he testified.

After hearing all submissions, Justice Nwite adjourned the trial to July 3 and 4, 2025, and scheduled July 21, 2025, for ruling on Bello’s application to travel.