Court To Rule July 17 On Yahaya Bello’s Request To Travel Abroad For Medical Care
By Kayode Lawal, Abuja
Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court has set 17 July 2025 to deliver a ruling on whether former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, will be allowed to travel overseas for medical treatment.
At Tuesday’s hearing of the ongoing money laundering case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bello’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Joseph Daudu, presented an application requesting the release of the ex-governor’s international passport to enable him to seek urgent medical attention abroad.
Daudu explained that the application, dated 19 June and filed a day later, was supported by a 22-paragraph affidavit sworn to by Bello himself.
The motion, he said, rests on 13 key grounds and is accompanied by supporting documents, including certified court rulings that previously granted Bello bail.
In opposing the request, the EFCC argued that allowing Bello to travel could delay the trial.
The agency’s counsel, Chukwudi Enebele, SAN, also questioned why the defendant had filed the same application at both the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court, warning that such parallel filings could lead to conflicting rulings and undermine the judiciary’s credibility.
“If the Federal High Court declines the request and this court approves it, it could make a mockery of our judicial system,” Enebele warned, further noting that Bello’s sureties should have been formally notified of his travel plans.
In a sharp rebuttal, Daudu dismissed the EFCC’s objections, arguing that the parallel applications were necessary because the EFCC filed charges in both courts.
He also insisted the sureties were already aware and needed no separate notice.
On the issue of the Interpol red alert previously raised by the EFCC, Daudu waved it off as irrelevant, saying the matter was no longer active and that Bello had consistently complied with court orders.
After hearing both sides, Justice Anenih adjourned proceedings and announced that her ruling on the application will be delivered on 17 July 2025.