A Federal High Court sitting at Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has struck out application by erstwhile Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello, seeking the release of his passport to enable him to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) for medical treatment.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Mr. Bello alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge, bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of N110.4 billion.
Mr. Bello had at the last sitting, through his counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, moved an application, dated June 19, 2025 and filed on June 20, 2025, praying for a temporary release of his passport to enable him attend a scheduled medical appointment in the UK, with an undertaking to return the passport to the court upon his return.
The application was opposed by prosecution counsel Chukwudi Enebeli, SAN, who urged the court to refuse the request, arguing that the application was aimed at altering the bail conditions the court imposed on Mr. Bello.
“The proper thing would have been for the defendant to retrieve his passport from the other court and then apply for a travel permit before this court. Asking both courts to release the same passport at the same time creates the risk of conflicting orders, which is an abuse of process,” Enebeli, SAN, submitted.
Ruling on the application, Justice Maryanne Anineh held that her court lacked the jurisdiction to grant the application since the defendant’s passport was not held by her court.
“A review of the court’s record revealed that the applicant had previously been ordered to deposit his passport and other travel documents with the registry of the court. However, upon further inquiry and search conducted by the court, it was discovered that the said passport was not presently in the custody of the court’s registry but with the Federal High Court. The defendant even deposed to an affidavit himself, stating that his passport had been deposited with the Federal High Court in a bail earlier granted him.
“The simple logic is that the passport cannot be with two different courts at the same time. Since the defendant admitted depositing the passport with the Federal High Court, there is no reason to make any order here in regards to the application. Courts don’t make orders in vain and as such, this court will not make any order that will be in vain since the passport in issue is not with this court but the Federal High Court,” she said.
Justice Anineh, therefore, adjourned the case until October 8, 9, and November 13, 2025, for continuation of trial.
