The request by former Kogi State’s Governor Yahaya Bello to travel abroad for medical attention, in the course of his trial, has been denied at a high court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama area of Abuja.
The denial came even as Yahaya Bello officially tied the knots with Hiqma, his fourth wife.
Before his latest marriage, he was already married to three wives: Amina Oyiza Bello, Rashida Yahaya Bello, and Hafiza Bello.
Bello is standing trial on a 16-count charge of alleged criminal breach of trust amounting to N110,446,470,089.
Bello also faces a separate 19-count charge of alleged money laundering involving N80.2 billion before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Bello’s private marriage ceremony, which was held in Abuja on Saturday, was attended by close family and friends.
The marriage was confirmed by Hafiza Yahaya Bello, the former Governor’s third wife, in a recent Instagram post.
She expressed gratitude to God for the new addition to their family and extended a warm welcome to the newest wife.
“Alhamdulillah, our family just got a little bigger and more loving! A warm welcome to our new family member, Mrs. Hiqma Yahaya Bello! May Allah bless our union and fill our home with love, peace, and Barakah. Amin,” she wrote.
Bello, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), served as Kogi State Governor from 2016 to 2023. Throughout his tenure, he was widely regarded as Nigeria’s youngest sitting Governor.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Maryann Anenih, the presiding judge, ruled that the court could not consider the application seeking release of the travel document since the passport is not before it.
Bello, through his counsel Joseph Daudu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had filed an application dated June 20, seeking permission to travel outside the country for medical treatment. The request was argued at the last sitting on July 8.
However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting Bello on allegations of corruption, filed a counter-affidavit opposing the application.
The anti-graft agency argued that granting the request could stall ongoing trial proceedings and described the motion as an “abuse of court process”.
The EFCC noted that a similar application had already been filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In response, Daudu argued that the fresh application before the FCT high court was not an abuse of process, insisting that the charges in both courts are separate and distinct.
Delivering her ruling, Anenih held that the court could not act on the request to release a document that was not in its custody.
She said even if the request to retrieve the international passport were to be granted, it would be of no effect since the passport was not in its custody but with the Federal High Court.
Following the ruling, the judge adjourned proceedings in the matter to October 8 and 9, and November 13, 2025, for continuation of hearing.
Bello is being tried alongside two former government officials — Abdulsalami Hudu and Umar Oricha — who served under his administration in Kogi State.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants allegedly used funds from the state treasury to acquire choice properties in the FCT and in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
He has filed a similar application in the other case, seeking leave to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
