Alleged N80.2bn Fraud: Court Okays Yahaya Bello’s Travel For 2026 Lesser Hajj

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted former Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, permission to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the 2026 lesser Hajj.

Justice Emeka Nwite, on Thursday, ordered the temporary release of Bello’s international passport, which had been deposited with the court, to enable him to undertake the religious exercise.

Bello is currently standing trial over alleged misappropriation of funds in a case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The anti-graft agency is prosecuting the former governor on allegations of money laundering to the tune of N80.2billion, charges he denied when he was arraigned.

In an application dated January 20 and supported by a 24-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Bello himself, the former governor sought the court’s permission to travel to Saudi Arabia for supplication.

Moving the application, Bello’s lead counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, told the court that the request was to enable his client 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 prosecution’s lead counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, said the EFCC would not oppose the request for Bello to travel for the lesser Hajj, but stressed that the prosecution would not concede any of the trial dates already fixed by the court.

In a short ruling, Justice Nwite granted the application, ordering the release of Bello’s international passport from the custody of the court registrar.

“I have listened to the submissions of counsel in this matter and am minded to grant the application,” the judge said.

Consequently, the court approved the release of the passport from March 13, 2026, for a period of 10 days, and adjourned proceedings to Friday, January 30, for the continuation of the examination of the seventh prosecution witness.

Earlier in his testimony, the seventh prosecution witness (PW7), Olomotane Egoro, a subpoenaed official of Access Bank, told the court that there were cash inflows from local government areas of Kogi State into the accounts of Fazab Business Enterprise and E-Traders International Ltd.

Egoro also informed the court that several cash withdrawals were made from the accounts.