A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday refused to grant former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, permission to retrieve his international passport to enable him travel overseas for medical treatment.
Justice Emeka Nwite turned down the application on the grounds that the medical report presented by Bello to support his travel request was unsigned, and therefore lacked legal validity.
Bello, who is currently facing an N80.2 billion corruption charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had requested the release of his travel document to seek medical care in the United Kingdom.
The former governor is also answering to related charges before another judge, Justice Maryanne Anenih of the FCT High Court in Maitama.
In the court, he similarly applied for the release of his passport. However, Justice Anenih noted that the document was not in her court’s custody but had been deposited with the Federal High Court in Abuja, rendering any ruling on the matter ineffective.
In opposing Bello’s application, the EFCC argued that seeking the same relief in two different courts was a misuse of the judicial process, which could lead to conflicting judgments.
During the ruling, Justice Nwite disagreed with the EFCC’s claim that the application amounted to an abuse of process, affirming that both courts had granted Bello bail—on December 13 and December 19, 2024, respectively—and that they were courts of equal jurisdiction.
He also ruled that there was no legal basis requiring Bello’s sureties to be notified or included in the application.
However, the judge emphasized that the unsigned medical report submitted as evidence had no legal standing.
“An unsigned document is of no probative value and cannot be relied upon by this court,” Justice Nwite said.
He concluded that Bello had not provided adequate justification to support the release of his passport for overseas travel and consequently rejected the application.
The matter was adjourned to October 7, 10, and November 10 and 11, 2025, for continuation of trial.