The Sun News On-line

The Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna on Tuesday refused to release the international passport of former Delta State governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori and accused him of abusing court process.

Justice Mohammed Lawal Shuaibu said the former governor has not given sufficient reasons why his international traveling documents should be released to him by the court.
Chief Ibori had approached the court for the release of his traveling document to enable him travel out for medical attention and to see his family. But the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Lawal Shuaibu, accused him of abuse of court process.

Chief Ibori had claimed in the application which was referred back to the lower court by the Court of Appeal that he has a medical history of severe blood pressure and heart palpitation, stressing that hospitals in Nigeria do not have the requisite facilities to handle the matter.

He also claimed that he had not seen his wife and children since September 2007, and asked for the release of his passports more so as his children’s schedule of school would not make it possible for them to come to Nigeria.

Justice Shuaibu, who agreed with the prosecution that there was no satisfactory and convincing reasons for granting the prayers being sought by Chief Ibori, however, fixed October 7, 2008 for the substantive suit against the former governor.

He said Ibori merely made an assertion regarding his medical condition without supporting medical report to prove his claim, as well as failing to furnish the court with the schedule of his children’s programmes that make it inconvenient for them to come to Nigeria .
Justice Shuaibu argued that “instead of going through the Federal High Court, the applicant opted to try his luck at the Court of Appeal, which sent him back to this court.”