A former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has secured approval from the Federal High Court in Abuja to travel to Saudi Arabia to observe the 2026 lesser Hajj.
While granting the application, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered the temporary release of Bello’s international passport, which has been in the custody of the court.
Bello is currently facing trial before the court over alleged misappropriation of public funds in a case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The request to travel was personally sworn to by the former governor and presented by his lead counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN. The defence explained that the application was to allow Bello travel to the Holy Land to perform the lesser Hajj during the month of Ramadan.
Daudu further told the court that his client had not undertaken the pilgrimage in more than eight years and desired to do so in order to pray for divine intervention over the charges instituted against him by the EFCC.
Responding on behalf of the prosecution, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, stated that the EFCC did not oppose the request for Bello to travel. However, he stressed that the prosecution would not agree to any alteration of the already scheduled trial dates.
In a brief ruling, Justice Nwite granted the application and directed that Bello’s passport be released to him from March 13, 2026, for a duration of 10 days.
Following the ruling, the court adjourned proceedings until Friday, January 30, for the continuation of the examination of the seventh prosecution witness.
Earlier in the trial, the witness, Olomotane Egoro, a subpoenaed official of Access Bank, testified about cash inflows from several local government areas in Kogi State into the bank accounts of Fazab Business Enterprise and E-Traders International Ltd. He also told the court that substantial cash withdrawals were made from the same accounts.
The EFCC is prosecuting Bello over allegations of money laundering involving N80.2 billion, charges which the former governor denied during his arraignment.
What you should know
Yahaya Bello’s trial is one of the high-profile corruption cases being pursued by the EFCC, centring on alleged large-scale financial misconduct during his tenure as Kogi State governor.
Although the court permitted him to travel for religious purposes, the approval was time-bound and did not affect the trial schedule. The prosecution’s decision not to oppose the request reflects a balance between the defendant’s religious rights and the need to ensure that justice is not delayed.
The case continues to draw public attention due to the scale of the alleged money laundering and the involvement of multiple financial transactions linked to government funds.
