Court declines Yahaya Bello’s travel request over unsigned medical report
The Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, turned down a request by the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, seeking the release of his international passport, saying the medical report attached to the application was not signed by its maker.
Justice Emeka Nwite, while delivering the ruling at the resumed hearing of the alleged money laundering case filed against the ex-governor by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), observed that, contrary to the submission of the prosecution team, the application was not an abuse of court process.
The defendant had applied for the release of his travel document to enable him to travel to the United Kingdom for medical attention. The judge said counsel to the defendant argued that the applicant had been a known hypertensive patient for about 15 years.
The lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN), was also said to have presented Exhibits A and B, which constituted an expert report on the health status of the applicant, saying sufficient materials had been placed before the court to exercise its discretion in favour of the applicant.
The judge also recalled that the prosecution team argued that the application was an abuse of the court process.
Prosecution, while urging the court to dismiss the application, noted that the reliefs sought were similar, and that the motion was technically incompetent as the sureties to the defendant were not informed.
On the issue of suretyship, the court held that the matter before it was Yahaya Bello v. FRN, and not vs the sureties. The judge further aligned the argument of the counsel to the defendant, ruling that the surety ought not to be included in the application.
The FCT High Court, in its ruling, said the “applicant must seek the leave of the court. Hence, this instant application does not amount to abuse of court process.
“It is also the fact that this court and the FCT High Court are courts of coordinate jurisdiction,” Justice Nwite stated. The court, however, held that Exhibit B, which was the medical report provided by a doctor, was not signed by its maker, and as such, lacked any legal efficacy.
It emphasised that an unsigned document carries no weight in law, and is considered worthless. The case was thereafter adjourned to October 7 and 10 and November 10 and 11, 2025, for continuation of trial.
