Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has urged the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to allow him travel abroad for medical treatment, insisting he has never violated the terms of his bail.

 

Bello made the plea before Justice Maryanne Anenih, who is presiding over the trial concerning alleged N110 billion fraud involving the ex-governor and two others.

 

His lead counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), while moving the motion filed on June 20, 2025, requested the court to direct the registrar to release the defendant’s international passport to enable him to seek medical attention abroad.

 

Daudu stated that the application was backed by a 22-paragraph affidavit sworn to by Bello himself, detailing the medical grounds for the request. The application also cited 13 legal grounds supporting the motion.

 

However, the prosecution counsel, Chukwudi Enebele (SAN), opposed the application through a counter-affidavit. He argued that granting the request could stall proceedings and questioned why the defendant failed to notify his sureties of the proposed travel.

 

Enebele further accused the defence of judicial manipulation, claiming that filing the same application at both the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court was an attempt to pit the courts against each other.

 

“If the Federal High Court denies the request and this court grants it, it would make a mockery of our judicial system,” he said.

 

Responding, Daudu dismissed the claim of court manipulation, noting that it was the prosecution that filed the charges in separate courts. He explained that seeking similar reliefs in both courts was a necessary legal move, not an abuse of process.

 

Daudu also clarified that the sureties had already been informed and that there was no need to formally notify them. On the issue of INTERPOL red alerts, he said they were no longer relevant, asserting that Bello had always complied with court directives.

 

He backed his submission with two exhibits—certified true copies of earlier rulings from both the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court that admitted Bello to bail.

 

After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Anenih adjourned ruling on the application to July 17, 2025.

 

Bello is currently standing trial alongside two co-defendants, Ali Bello and Daudu Suleiman, who are accused of conspiring with him to divert N110 billion from the coffers of Kogi State during his tenure as governor.