The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said no to a request from former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, who wanted to travel abroad for medical treatment. The EFCC believes the move is just another way to delay his ongoing trial.

In court, EFCC’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), said that although Bello claimed he had hypertension and low potassium, there was no clear proof that the illness was life-threatening or needed treatment overseas.

The EFCC argued that there are many modern hospitals in Nigeria that can treat such health conditions properly without needing to leave the country.

They also pointed out that Bello, while he was governor, had publicly claimed to have built ultra-modern hospitals with high-tech medical facilities in Kogi State.

The EFCC lawyer questioned the medical report presented by Bello, saying the report didn’t even include the qualifications of the doctor who signed it.

He added, “This is the same person who said he built good hospitals in Kogi so people wouldn’t have to travel abroad for medical treatment.”

The EFCC went on to tell the court that Bello is facing serious charges, some of which have international links. They warned that once he leaves Nigeria, he could be arrested by Interpol.

In fact, the EFCC said they already contacted Interpol, and Bello is currently on the red notice list. This means if he tries to travel, he might be arrested in another country.

Pinheiro went further to warn that Bello could be arrested overseas like Instagram influencer Hushpuppi and possibly extradited to the U.S. or UAE, which would disrupt the trial in Nigeria.

The EFCC also said that Bello didn’t inform the people who stood as his sureties before filing this request. On top of that, they said he made a similar request in another Abuja court where he’s also facing charges—suggesting he’s trying to avoid both trials.

After hearing from both sides, the judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, decided to delay the ruling and set another date to deliver his judgment.