Justice O.A. Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, rejected the application filed by Bauchi State Accountant General, Sirajo Muhammad Jaja, for permission to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the Muslim pilgrimage, hajj and medical check-up.
Jaja is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC alongside the first defendant Aliyu Abubakar, an unlicensed bureau de change operator on amended five-count charge, bordering on conversion of funds, belonging to the Bauchi State Government, and money laundering to the tune of N1,635,270,350.9k (One Billion, Six Hundred and Thirty-five million, Two hundred and seventy thousand, Three hundred and fifty Naira, Nine kobo).
On conclusion of the cross-examination of the first Prosecution Witness, PW1, Abimbola Williams, a compliance officer with the United Bank for Africa, UBA at the Tuesday’s sitting by Jaja’s counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, the counsel informed the court of his client’s application for leave of the court to enable him travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for two weeks to perform the Muslim pilgrimage and for medical check- up.
“Before adjourning, there is an application. The second defendant wants to travel outside for two weeks. It is a temporary application for the release of his passport,” adding that the defence was already in receipt of the prosecution’s response, which he said he had yet to respond to.
In his response, prosecution counsel, Abba Muhammed, SAN, informed the court that the prosecution was in receipt of the application and had responded in objection to the application for him to travel out for any reason, stating that the defendant is a flight risk, with other parties in the charge being at large.
“The prosecution opposed the application of the second defendant with a 10 paragraph affidavit filed on 13 March, 2026. We rely on all the deposition and annexures. We provided cogent reasons; the facts are there. We rely on them, and we urge the court to reject the application.
In his ruling on the application, Justice Egwuatu struck out the application and adjourned the matter till June 30, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
