The Traffic

Yahaya Bello's Travel Bid Denied Again as Second Court Rejects Passport Request

Abuja, Nigeria — Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has suffered another legal setback as the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday denied his request to retrieve his international passport for a medical trip to the United Kingdom.

This marks the second rejection in less than a week, following a similar ruling by the FCT High Court, where Mr. Bello is also facing separate corruption charges.

Presiding Judge Emeka Nwite, who is handling the ₦80 billion money laundering trial, ruled that Mr. Bello failed to provide adequate justification for the temporary release of his travel document.

Lack of Credible Evidence
The court’s decision hinged largely on the questionable validity of medical documents submitted by Mr. Bello’s legal team. One of the exhibits—a medical report labeled Exhibit B—was not signed, a fact the judge emphasized as a major flaw.

“An unsigned document is legally worthless. Exhibit B has no probative value and cannot be relied upon,” Justice Nwite ruled.
“The defendant has not placed sufficient materials before this court for his passport to be released. Consequently, the application is hereby refused.”

EFCC: Bello Is a Flight Risk
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) strongly opposed the request, describing it as an abuse of court process and warning that the former governor posed a serious flight risk. EFCC prosecutor Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, cited Mr. Bello’s history of evading court summonses and failing to appear until his eventual arraignment months after charges were filed.

Mr. Bello’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu, SAN, argued that his client had been a hypertensive patient for over 15 years and required urgent medical attention abroad. However, the court found the evidence lacking and questioned the procedural grounds of the application.

Despite the ruling, the judge dismissed EFCC’s argument that the motion was an abuse of court process, clarifying that both the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court are courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

He also rejected the EFCC’s claim that Mr. Bello’s sureties must be notified or joined in the application, ruling that there was no legal basis requiring such notice.

Earlier Defeat at the FCT High Court
Last Thursday, Justice Maryanne Anenih of the FCT High Court also threw out Mr. Bello’s travel application, stating that the passport was never in the court’s custody. The judge ruled that since Mr. Bello had admitted in an affidavit that his passport was deposited with the Federal High Court, the application at the FCT court was misguided and premature.

“The passport cannot be in two places at once,” she ruled.
“This court cannot issue an order for something not within its jurisdiction.”

This is not the first time Mr. Bello has faced unfavorable decisions since his legal battles began. In December 2024, the FCT court initially denied him bail and remanded him in Kuje Correctional Centre, citing procedural issues. He was later granted bail after appearing before the court and satisfying the required conditions.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Federal High Court granted Ali Bello—Mr. Bello’s nephew and co-accused—permission to travel abroad for medical reasons, drawing a contrast between the court’s leniency in that case and its skepticism in Yahaya Bello’s.

Next Steps
The trial at the Federal High Court is expected to continue on October 7 and 10, and November 10 and 11. Mr. Bello still faces multi-billion-naira corruption charges in both courts as the EFCC intensifies its prosecution efforts.

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna