The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, reserved its ruling till July 17 on an application by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, seeking permission to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
Justice Marianne Anineh fixed the date after listening to arguments from both the defence and prosecution during Tuesday’s proceedings.
Bello, who is facing a 16-count charge of alleged criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of ₦110.4 billion, is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu. The case is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bello’s counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, moved a motion filed on June 20, 2025, requesting the temporary release of his client’s international passport to enable him attend a medical appointment with a UK-based physician, Dr. Amanda Barnabas. The application, supported by a 22-paragraph affidavit sworn by Bello, also included medical reports from the Confluence University of Science and Technology.
Daudu told the court that the request was valid and not an abuse of process, stressing that Bello had fulfilled all bail conditions and had consistently appeared in court. He argued that nothing in the bail ruling restricted his client from seeking medical care abroad and that seeking a second medical opinion is a constitutional right.
However, prosecuting counsel, Chukwudi Inibini, SAN, urged the court to deny the application, warning that it sought to alter the bail terms, which included the surrender of Bello’s passport.
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Inibini raised concerns that the same application had been filed in another court, and that allowing the same passport to be released by two different courts could lead to conflicting orders, constituting an abuse of judicial process. He further argued that Bello’s sureties were not notified, a key requirement in modifying bail conditions.
He also questioned the authenticity of one of the medical reports attached to the application, noting it was signed on behalf of a consultant without specifying the signatory’s qualifications.
Inibini reminded the court of Bello’s past statements as governor, where he praised a newly built “ultra-modern hospital” in Kogi as among the best in Nigeria, questioning why such a facility was suddenly deemed inadequate for his treatment.
Justice Anineh adjourned the matter to July 17, 2025, for ruling on the application.