Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday rejected the application of a former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, for the release of his passport to enable him travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello, alongside his nephew, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu on 19- count charges, bordering on money laundering to the tune of N80, 246,470, 088.88.
The anti-graft agency in a statement said Justice Nwite rejected Bello’s application on the following grounds that Bello has not put forward sufficient materials before the court to show that local health facilities cannot manage his health condition.
He said that the medical doctor in the Confluence University of Science and Technology that diagnosed him did not state his area of medical competence, adding that the letter of invitation from the UK medical consultant was not signed and therefore, worthless in the eyes of the law.
The judge said that Bello wants to leave Nigeria and go to the UK to treat hypertension without putting forward any evidence to show that there has been a deterioration of the ailment.
TheHintsNews reports that at the June 27, 2025 sitting, Bello had through his counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, urged the court to temporarily release his client’s passport to enable him to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
He claimed that the defendant had no criminal record overseas and did not pose a flight risk.
“He has no criminal record in those countries. The defendant is not a flight risk and will return before the end of August. My Lord can even specify a return date,” he said.
In his ruling, the judge noted: “In the instant situation, what the defendant applicant is asking the court for is to exercise its discretion in order to facilitate the overseas process of the treatment of his ill health, which is hypertension.
“This ill health, referred to in my opinion, had not been shown to be serious enough that a Nigerian medical facility cannot handle when taken into account that the defendant applicant is standing trial before this honorable court”
“In view of the foregoing, I am of the view, and I so hold that the defendant applicant has failed to place sufficient criteria before this honorable court in order to enable this court to release the international passport of the applicant to him for the purpose of traveling abroad for medical treatment. Consequently, this application is hereby refused. This is the ruling of this court.”