Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, has fixed July 17th for ruling on an application filed by the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, seeking to travel out of the country, on health grounds.

At the resumed hearing, his counsel and Joseph Daudu (SAN) told the court that he had filed an application seeking an order for the release of his client’s international passport by the registrar to enable him to travel for medical attention. The EFCC counsel had, however, filed a counter-affidavit, saying granting the request could delay further proceedings.

In response to the prosecution team’s counter-affidavit, 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. 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 the FHC.

He argued that it could not be an abuse of the court process. He hinged his argument on the fact that it was the complainant who instituted those charges in the separate courts. Daudu submitted that it would be a futile exercise to apply in one court and not to apply in the other court.

While defending the counter-affidavit of the EFCC, the prosecution counsel, Chukwudi Enebele (SAN), said the defendant should have put his sureties on notice concerning 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. After listening to both parties, Justice Anenih adjourned the case to July 17, 2025, for ruling.