Court Denies Yahaya Bello’s Travel Request Over Unsigned Medical Report

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected an application by former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, seeking the release of his international passport to enable him travel abroad for medical treatment.

Ruling on the motion on Monday, the judge held that the medical report submitted in support of the application was not signed by its author and, therefore, lacked legal credibility.

Bello is currently standing trial on charges of money laundering, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

While the court dismissed claims by the prosecution that the application constituted an abuse of court process, it found that the unsigned medical report—tendered as Exhibit B—carried no probative value and could not be relied upon to support the defendant’s request.

The defence, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Joseph Daudu, had argued that the former governor is a long-time hypertensive patient and presented two documents, marked Exhibits A and B, as expert reports on his health condition. Daudu urged the court to exercise its discretion to allow his client access to medical care abroad.

The prosecution opposed the motion, arguing that the request was procedurally flawed and failed to notify the sureties who stood for the defendant’s bail. They also argued that the motion sought similar reliefs to earlier applications, making it an abuse of court process.

However, Justice Nwite disagreed with the prosecution on the issue of suretyship, stating that the case before the court was between Yahaya Bello and the Federal Republic of Nigeria—not involving the sureties directly. The judge noted that the prosecution failed to cite any legal provision, domestic or international, requiring sureties to be notified or joined in such applications.

On the claim of abuse of court process, the court noted that Yahaya Bello was granted bail by both the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court in December 2024, with the latter requiring court permission for international travel. The judge ruled that since both courts are of coordinate jurisdiction, seeking leave of court does not amount to an abuse of process.

Nonetheless, the court maintained that the absence of a signature on Exhibit B rendered the document legally worthless.

“In other words, Exhibit B is devoid of probative value and cannot be relied upon by the Court,” Justice Nwite said, concluding that the defendant had failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the release of his passport.

“Consequently, this application is hereby refused,” the judge declared.

The matter was thereafter adjourned to October 7 and 10, and November 10 and 11, 2025, for continuation of trial.