Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, on Thursday dismissed an application filed by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, seeking the temporary release of his international passport to enable him travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.

Bello, who is currently facing a 16-count charge of criminal breach of trust and money laundering amounting to N110.4 billion, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.

During the last court sitting, Bello’s counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, submitted an application dated June 19 and filed on June 20, 2025, requesting that the court temporarily release his passport to enable him attend a medical appointment abroad. He assured the court of returning the passport upon his return.

However, EFCC counsel, Chukwudi Enebeli, SAN, opposed the motion, describing it as an attempt to alter the bail conditions earlier imposed by the court, which required the defendant to deposit his passport. Enebeli further argued that the sureties to the defendant’s bail should have been formally notified to confirm their willingness to continue in that role if Bello were allowed to leave the country.

He also informed the court that the former governor had filed a similar application at the Federal High Court, which was still pending, thus raising the risk of conflicting judicial decisions.

“The proper step should have been for the defendant to retrieve his passport from the other court before making an application here. Filing similar applications in two separate courts amounts to an abuse of court process,” Enebeli submitted.

At the resumed hearing, EFCC counsel Jami’u Agburo reminded the court that the matter was slated for ruling, and the prosecution was ready.

In her ruling, Justice Anineh declared that her court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the application since the passport was not in its custody.

“A review of this court’s records revealed that the applicant had been directed to deposit his passport with the court registry. However, upon inquiry, it was discovered that the passport is not currently with this court but with the Federal High Court. The defendant even swore in an affidavit that the passport was deposited with the Federal High Court in connection with an earlier bail,” she stated.

She added, “A passport cannot be in the custody of two different courts at the same time. Since it is established that the document is with the Federal High Court, this court cannot make an order concerning it. Courts do not make orders in vain.”

Justice Anineh consequently struck out the application and adjourned the case to October 8, 9, and November 13, 2025, for continuation of trial.