N110.4bn fraud: Court rejects Yahaya Bello’s UK medical trip request

The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in the Maitama area of Abuja, on Thursday, July 17, 2025, struck out an application by former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello for the release of his passport to enable him to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu before Justice Maryanne Anineh on a 16-count charge, bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of N110.4 billion.

At the last sitting, Bello, through his counsel, J.B. Daudu (SAN), made an application, dated June 19 and filed on June 20, 2025, praying for a temporary release of his passport to enable him attend a scheduled medical appointment in the UK, with an undertaking to return the passport to the court upon his return.

In his response to the application, the prosecution counsel, Chukwudi Enebeli (SAN), urged the court to refuse the request, arguing that the application was aimed at altering the bail conditions the court imposed on the defendant, which required him to deposit his passport with the court.

At the resumed sitting on Thursday, the prosecution counsel, Jami’u Agburo, informed the court that the matter was for ruling on the application and that the prosecution was ready.

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In her ruling, Justice Anineh held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to grant the application since Bello’s passport was not held by her court.

The judge said: “A review of the court’s record revealed that the applicant had previously been ordered to deposit his passport and other travel documents with the registry of the court.

“However, upon further inquiry and search conducted by the court, it was discovered that the said passport was not presently in the custody of the court’s registry but with the Federal High Court. The defendant even deposed to an affidavit himself, stating that his passport had been deposited with the Federal High Court in a bail earlier granted him.

“The simple logic is that the passport cannot be with two different courts at the same time. Since the defendant admitted depositing the passport with the Federal High Court, there is no reason making any order here in regards to the application.

“Courts don’t make orders in vain and as such, this court will not make any order that will be in vain since the passport in issue is not with this court but the Federal High Court.”

Justice Anineh adjourned the case till October 8, 9, and November 13, 2025, for the continuation of trial.

The Star