The Federal High Court in Abuja has denied a motion by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, seeking the release of his international passport to enable him to travel abroad for medical treatment.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who delivered the ruling, said the court could not grant the request because the medical report submitted in support of the application was unsigned and thus carried no legal or evidentiary weight.
Bello, who is standing trial for alleged money laundering and financial crimes, had requested the temporary release of his travel documents to seek medical care in the United Kingdom.
His legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Joseph Daudu, argued that he had been battling hypertension for over 15 years and needed urgent treatment abroad.
While the court acknowledged that Bello’s application was not an abuse of judicial process, it concluded that “Exhibit B”—the central medical report presented—was inadmissible due to the lack of a signature from the issuing physician.
“An unsigned document is worthless in the eyes of the law,” Justice Nwite ruled. “It carries no probative value and cannot form the basis for granting such relief.”
The prosecution, led by the Federal Government, opposed the motion, arguing that it was technically defective and that the sureties who guaranteed Bello’s bail had not been properly notified or included in the application.
The court, however, sided with the defence on this point, stating that the motion did not legally require the involvement of sureties and that the onus was on the defendant to present compelling evidence for temporary passport release.
Justice Nwite emphasized that although Bello had been granted bail by both the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court in December 2024, the standard for granting international travel permission while on trial remains stringent, especially in financial crime cases.
“The applicant has not placed sufficient material before the court to justify the release of his passport,” the judge concluded.
The case has been adjourned to October 7 & 10 and November 10 & 11, 2025, for continuation of trial proceedings.
