ABUJA, NIGERIA – A High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has rejected an application by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, seeking the release of his passport to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. Justice Maryanne Anineh struck out the application on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
Mr. Bello is currently facing a 16-count charge of criminal breach of trust and money laundering, amounting to ₦110.4 billion (approximately $73 million USD), brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He is being prosecuted alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
Mr. Bello’s counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, had filed an application requesting the temporary release of his passport for a scheduled medical appointment in the UK, with an undertaking to return it to the court. However, prosecution counsel Chukwudi Enebeli, SAN, urged the court to refuse the request, arguing it sought to alter the defendant’s bail conditions, which mandated the deposit of his passport with the court. The prosecution also contended that Mr. Bello had abused the court process by filing a similar, still-pending application in another court.
In her ruling, Justice Anineh stated that her court lacked jurisdiction to grant the application, as Mr. Bello’s passport was not in its custody. She noted that court records and the defendant’s own affidavit confirmed the passport had been deposited with the Federal High Court in connection with an earlier bail. “The simple logic is that the passport cannot be with two different courts at the same time,” Justice Anineh stated, concluding that her court would not make a futile order.
The case has been adjourned until October 8, 9, and November 13, 2025, for the continuation of the trial.
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