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- Seeks permission for medical trip
From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello has told Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), that he has never flouted her orders with regards to the condition of his bail.
The former Governor stated this why urging the court to grant him permission to seek foreign medical attention.
His counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), who moved the application said the application, filed on June 20, 2025, ” seeks an order for the release of the 1st defendant/applicant’s international airport by the registrar to enable him to travel for medical attention,” he said.
After taking arguments for and against the application, Justice Anenih reserved her ruling till July 17.
The EFCC is prosecuting Bello and his co-defendants on 16 count of alleged fraud in involving the diversion of N110 billion belonging to Kogi State.
The two co-defendants Mr Oricha and Mr Hudu, were accused of conspiring with Bello to perpetrate the alleged fraud.
The counsel said the application was supported by an affidavit of 13 grounds in the face of the motion and supported by a 22 paragraphs affidavit deposed to by the applicant himself.
However, the prosecution counsel, Chukwudi Enebele, SAN, in opposition to the application, filed a counter-affidavit, predicated on the ground that granting the request could delay further proceedings.
Enebele 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 counsels 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,” the EFCC lawyer argued.
In his response, Daudu, said the defendant’s team had also filed a further affidavit of 20 paragraphs, filed 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 those 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, SAN submitted.
Responding, Daudu SAN said, on the issue of suretyship, the sureties were already aware.
“We need not put them on notice,” he said.
“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 Maryanne Anenih adjourned the case to July 17, 2025 for ruling.
