Manny Ita
The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, granted former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello permission on Thursday, January 29, 2026, to travel to Saudi Arabia for the 2026 lesser Hajj (Umrah). The court ordered the temporary release of the former governor’s international passport, which had been held as part of his bail conditions, to allow him to perform the religious rite during the month of Ramadan. In his ruling, Justice Nwite specified that the travel period would commence on March 13, 2026, for a duration of ten days, after which the document must be returned to the court’s custody.
During the proceedings, Bello’s lead counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), argued that the 24-paragraph affidavit personally deposed to by the defendant highlighted a spiritual need for the trip, noting that the former governor had not traveled to the Holy Land in over eight years. Daudu stated that the pilgrimage was intended for “divine intervention and supplication” regarding the ongoing legal challenges. The prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), did not oppose the application but maintained that it would not concede any previously scheduled trial dates.
The trial continued on Friday, January 30, 2026, with the seventh prosecution witness (PW7), Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank, providing testimony regarding alleged financial irregularities. Egoro detailed a series of cash movements and deposits totaling over ₦117 million into a private business account, Fazac Business Enterprise, which reportedly received funds from the statutory and VAT accounts of several Kogi local government councils. The witness further testified that on a single day in August 2019, 30 cash withdrawals of ₦10 million each were made by a third party, totaling ₦300 million—a pattern he characterized as “suspicious.” Bello remains in court facing a 19-count charge of money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving approximately ₦80.2 billion.
