Court grants Yahaya Bello permission to perform Lesser Hajj

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja Thursday granted former governor of Kogi state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, permission to go to Saudi Arabia to perform the 2026 Lesser Hajj in the holy land.

While granting permission at the resumed sitting, the presiding judge, Emeka Nwite, ordered that the travelling passport of the former governor, which has been in the custody of the court, be released to him temporarily.

Bello is standing trial before the court in alleged misappropriation of funds brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

His application for permission to travel to Saudi for supplication filed on January 20, supported by a 24-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Yahaya Bello himself, was moved by his lead counsel, Mr Joseph Daudu, SAN.

The counsel informed the court that the request was to enable the defendant to travel to the holy land in Saudi Arabia to observe the Lesser Hajj during the month of Ramadan.

Daudu told the court that Yahaya Bello had not gone to the holy land for over eight years and said there is the need for him to go now to pray to God to deliver him from the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The lead prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, in his argument told the court that, the prosecution will not oppose the request for the defendant to travel to the holy land for the lesser Hajj but will not concede any of the dates set aside by the courts.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in a short ruling, granted the request for the release of Yahaya Bello’s international passport deposited with the Registrar of the court to enable him travel to the holy land for the Ramadan Lesser Hajj.