The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has scheduled July 17th to deliver a ruling on an application from former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, seeking permission to travel outside Nigeria for health reasons.
During the latest court session, presided over by Justice Maryann Anenih, Joseph Daudu, representing Bello, informed the court that he filed a request for the release of his client’s international passport, currently held by the registrar, to facilitate the proposed medical trip.
However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel submitted a counter-affidavit, arguing that approving the travel request could potentially delay the ongoing legal proceedings.
In response to the prosecution’s objections, Daudu stated that the defence team had also filed a supplementary affidavit, comprising 20 paragraphs.
This document, dated July 7, 2025, was deposed by Bello himself and included two exhibits: ‘exhibit C’, which is a certified true copy of the court’s ruling granting the defendant bail, and ‘exhibit D’, which is the Federal High Court’s ruling also admitting him to bail.
“We adopt these documents in urging your lordship to grant our application,” Daudu said.
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Addressing the prosecution’s claim that his application constituted an abuse of court process, given a similar request was filed at the Federal High Court, Daudu contended otherwise.
He grounded his argument on the fact that it was EFCC who initiated the charges in separate courts, suggesting that applying in one court while neglecting the other would be an illogical omission.
Defending the EFCC’s counter-affidavit, prosecution counsel Chukwudi Enebele noted that the defendant should have notified his sureties about his intention to travel abroad.
According to Enebele, the sureties would then need to determine if they wished to continue serving as guarantors should Bello travel.
He further argued that by filing identical applications in both the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court, the defence counsel was creating a potential conflict between the two judicial bodies.
In rebuttal, Daudu assured the court that the sureties were already fully aware of the application.
Regarding the Interpol matter, Daudu dismissed it as a dead argument.
“He has never violated your lordship’s order. They themselves have even forgotten about those red alerts,” as he urged the court to approve the application.
After considering submissions from both legal teams, Justice Anenih adjourned the case for her ruling.
