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Court Grants Former Kogi Governor Permission to Perform Lesser Hajj
The court’s approval of the travel request is tied strictly to the religious exercise and does not affect the status of the ongoing trial.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted former Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, permission to travel to Saudi Arabia for the 2026 lesser Hajj.
The judge made the order on Thursday, directing that Bello’s international passport, earlier deposited with the court, be temporarily released to enable the trip.
Bello is currently facing trial before the court in a case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as governor.
The EFCC has accused the former governor of laundering public funds amounting to N80.2 billion. Bello pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment and has continued to deny any wrongdoing.
The court’s approval of the travel request is tied strictly to the religious exercise and does not affect the status of the ongoing trial.
The former governor, in an application dated January 20, and supported by a 24-paragraph affidavit deposed to by himself, sought the court’s permission to travel to Saudi Arabia for supplication.
Moving the application, his lead counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, told the court that the request was to enable the defendant travel to the Holy Land during the month of Ramadan to observe the lesser Hajj.
Daudu informed the court that Bello had not visited the Holy Land in over eight years, adding that there was a need for him to go and pray to God to deliver him from the charges brought against him by the EFCC.
Responding, the lead prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, said the prosecution would not oppose the request for the defendant to travel for the lesser Hajj, but stressed that it would not concede any of the trial dates already fixed by the court.
In a short ruling, Justice Nwite granted the application for the release of Bello’s international passport, which was deposited with the Registrar of the court.
The court also directed that Bello must return to Nigeria immediately upon completion of the lesser Hajj and that any breach of this order could lead to the reinstatement of restrictions on his travel. Observers note that such temporary travel approvals for defendants standing trial are not uncommon in Nigeria, provided they do not interfere with the judicial process.
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