JUSTICE Maryann Anenih of an Abuja High Court on Tuesday, adjourned ruling in an application filed by former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, seeking leave to travel abroad for medical reasons.
Bello and his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, were arraigned on November 27, 2024 on a 16-count-charge bordering on alleged property fraud to the tune of N110 billion.
Justice Anenih adjourned until July 17, 2025 after listening to Bello’ s application to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) for medical reasons.
Earlier, Joseph Daudu, SAN, counsel to Bello, told the court that he filed an application on June 20, 2025. “It seeks an order for the release of the 1st defendant/applicant’s international passport by the registrar to enable him to travel for medical attention,” he said.
He said the application was supported by an affidavit of 13 grounds in the face of the motion and supported by a 22-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the applicant himself.
The EFCC had filed a counter-affidavit, saying granting the request could delay further proceedings.
Daudu, in response to the prosecution counter-affidavit, said the defendant had also filed a further affidavit of 20 paragraphs, on July 7, 2025, and deposed to by the applicant himself with two exhibits.
“Exhibits C is the CTC of the ruling of your lordship, admitting the defendant to bail, and Exhibit D is the ruling of FHC admitting him to bail.
“We adopt these documents in urging your lordship to grant our application,” he stated.
Responding to the prosecution’s argument that the application was an abuse of court process in the sense that a similar application was filed at FHC, he argued that it could not be an abuse of court process.
He hinged his argument on the fact that it was the complainant that instituted both charges in the separate courts.
“It will be a futile exercise to apply in one court and not to apply in the other court,” Daudu submitted.
The prosecution counsel, Chukwudi Enebeli, SAN, while defending the EFCC’s counter-affidavit, said the defendant should have put his sureties on notice with regard to his application to travel out of the country.
According to him, the sureties need to decide whether they would want to continue to stand as sureties for him when he travels.
He added that by filing the same application at both the FCT High Court and Federal High Court, the defendant’s counsel were setting the courts on a collision course.
“If FHC refuses that application and my lord grants it, it will make mockery of our judicial system,” Enebeli argued, stressing that the applicant is on the “red letter alert “and maybe held abroad.
Responding, Daudu said on the issue of suretyship, the sureties were already aware. “We need not put them on notice,” he said, adding: “Finally, on the interpol matter, it is a dead argument. He has never flouted your lordship’s order. They themselves have even forgotten about those red alerts,” the lawyer added, urging the court to grant the application.
After listening to both parties, Justice Anenih adjourned the matter to July 17, 2025 for ruling. (NAN)
