FCT High Court says Yahaya Bello’s passport isn’t with them but with Federal High Court.
Judge Anenih dismisses passport release plea, calls application misleading amid ongoing money laundering trial.
A High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has clarified that it does not currently have possession of the international passport belonging to former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello. According to the court, the travel document is actually being held by the Federal High Court.
This clarification was given by Justice Maryanne Anenih during a hearing on Thursday in the ongoing case involving allegations of money laundering filed against Bello by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The case, which also includes two other defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, centers around claims of property-related fraud amounting to N110 billion.
Justice Anenih explained that she could not consider an application requesting the release of the passport because her court does not have it. She said even if she were to approve such a request, it would have no impact since the passport is not under her court’s control.
The judge further pointed out that the bail terms initially granted to the former governor required him to submit his international passport or provide an affidavit if the passport was being held by another court. She emphasized that Bello had already stated under oath that the travel document was with the deputy registrar of the Federal High Court, where he is also standing trial on a separate case.
“It is not possible for the passport to be in two places at the same time,” Justice Anenih said. She added that her court cannot assume that the former governor has a second passport, as no such evidence has been presented.
Because of these facts, she ruled that the application filed by Bello was misleading in suggesting that the passport was in the custody of the FCT High Court. She added that if the document had indeed been with the FCT High Court, the court could have considered arguments from both sides. Since it was not, the application lacked merit.
Yahaya Bello had filed the application seeking the release of his passport so he could travel abroad for medical treatment. His legal representative, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Joseph Daudu, told the court that the passport was not with them, and they were only asking for its release to attend to urgent health matters.
The EFCC, however, opposed the request. The commission’s legal team filed a counter-affidavit asking the court not to approve the release of the passport. They argued that granting such a request would not serve the interest of justice, given the seriousness of the charges against the defendant.
Daudu had earlier submitted that the application, dated June 19 and filed on June 20, 2025, was backed by a 22-paragraph affidavit personally sworn by Bello. He noted that the travel document was critical for his client to seek medical attention outside the country.
A search conducted by the court registry also confirmed that the international passport was not in the court’s possession, despite earlier records suggesting otherwise.
Following the ruling, Justice Anenih adjourned the case to October 8 for the continuation of the trial.
In the meantime, the former Kogi governor continues to face separate charges at the Federal High Court, further complicating his legal situation.
