A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has ordered a temporary release of Yahaya Bello’s passport
The former governor of Kogi State, can now 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 in the custody of the court, to enable him undertake the religious exercise.
Bello is currently standing trial before the court over alleged misappropriation of funds in a case instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The EFCC is prosecuting the former governor over alleged money laundering to the tune of N80.2bn, allegations which Bello denied when he was arraigned before the court.
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.
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Yinmu