EFCC Trial: Judge Blocks Yahaya Bello’s Medical Escape Route

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, has rejected an application by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, seeking the release of his international passport to facilitate a medical trip to the United Kingdom.

The decision, delivered on Monday, July 21, 2025, dealt a blow to Yahaya Bello’s attempt to travel abroad for hypertension treatment. Bello is currently standing trial alongside his nephew, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of ₦80.2 billion.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Nwite held that Bello failed to provide credible evidence that his medical condition could not be treated in Nigeria. The court further described the medical documents submitted by Bello as fundamentally flawed.

“Exhibit A, the medical report from Confluence University of Science and Technology, was not signed by the examining consultant and did not indicate any specific medical qualifications. Exhibit B, the appointment letter from a UK clinic, was unsigned and therefore worthless in the eyes of the law,” Justice Nwite stated.

He noted that hypertension, the illness cited by the defendant, had not been shown to have deteriorated or to require specialized care unavailable in Nigeria. “A Nigerian medical facility can handle the condition, and the court cannot release the passport based on insufficient justification,” the judge ruled.

Bello’s legal team, led by J.B. Daudu, SAN, had argued that the defendant was not a flight risk and had no prior criminal record. They urged the court to exercise its discretion under Section 173(2)(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. The application was supported by a 22-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Bello himself, including attachments such as a local medical report and an invitation from a London-based cardiologist.

However, EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, countered that the application was an abuse of court process. He pointed out that similar requests had been made before the FCT High Court and stressed that the defendant is already subject to international red alerts over his alleged financial crimes. He warned that permitting the travel could expose Nigeria to embarrassment and risk the defendant’s extradition from foreign jurisdictions.

“The irony is that this same defendant, during his time in office, commissioned an ultra-modern hospital in Kogi State. He should be encouraged to use it,” Pinheiro said.

Justice Nwite concluded that the application lacked merit and refused it outright. “This court cannot act on assumptions, unsigned documents, and insufficient grounds,” he declared.

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By Fikunmi Sokoya