A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday allowed former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the 2026 lesser Hajj. The order was given by Justice Emeka Nwite, who approved the temporary release of Bello’s international passport, which had earlier been kept by the court.
Bello is facing trial before the court over allegations of financial misconduct brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The anti-graft agency is prosecuting him over alleged money laundering involving N80.2 billion, which the former governor has denied since his arraignment.
The court granted the request after Bello filed an application dated January 20, supported by an affidavit in which he asked for permission to travel for religious reasons. His lawyer, Joseph Daudu, SAN, told the court that Bello intended to visit Saudi Arabia during Ramadan to perform the lesser Hajj. He added that the former governor had not made the trip in more than eight years and wished to pray during the period.
The prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, did not oppose the request but asked that the already scheduled trial dates should remain unchanged. The court agreed with this position while granting the application.
Justice Nwite ordered that Bello’s passport be released from March 13, 2026, and returned after 10 days. He then adjourned the case to January 30 for the continuation of the trial.
During earlier proceedings, a prosecution witness from Access Bank told the court about cash inflows from local government areas in Kogi State into the accounts of two companies and confirmed that several withdrawals were made from the same accounts. The trial is expected to continue after Bello’s approved travel period.
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