The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday rejected an application filed by the Accountant General of Bauchi State, Sirajo Muhammad Jaja, and other defendants in the ongoing trial on N1.6 billion fraud charges.
Mr Jaja had asked the court for permission to travel to Saudi Arabia for the Muslim pilgrimage, Hajj, and a medical check-up.
The judge, Obiora Egwuatu, struck out the application after hearing arguments from Mr Jaja’s lawyer, Chris Uche, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and the prosecution counsel, Abba Muhammed, also a SAN, who opposed the request.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) shared the details in a press statement by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Tuesday
According to the statement, Mr Uche informed the court that the second defendant sought leave of court to travel temporarily to Saudi Arabia for two weeks to perform Hajj and undergo medical examination.
“The second defendant wants to travel outside for two weeks. It is a temporary application for the release of his passport,” Mr Uche said.
He added that the defence had already received the prosecution’s counter-affidavit but had yet to file a response.
However, the prosecution counsel, Mr Muhammed, told the court that the anti-graft agency filed a response opposing the application.
He argued that the defendant posed a flight risk, especially as some of the persons linked to the charge were still at large.
The prosecution further stated that its opposition to the application was contained in a 10-paragraph affidavit filed on 13 March.
“We rely on all the depositions and annexures. We provided cogent reasons, the facts are there. We rely on them and urge the court to reject the application,” Mr Muhammed said.
In his ruling, the judge struck out the application and adjourned the matter until 30 June for continuation of trial.
Earlier during the Tuesday’s proceedings, the first prosecution witness, Abimbola Williams, a compliance officer with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), was cross-examined.
Background
Mr Jaja is facing trial alongside Aliyu Abubakar, an alleged bureau de change operator trading under the name Jasfad Resources Enterprise, over allegations of money laundering, theft and diversion of Bauchi State Government funds.
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Three other suspects said to be officials of Bauchi State Government – Abubakar Muhammed Hafiz, Ari Manga and Muhammed Aminu Bose – are still at large.
The defendants were initially arraigned by the EFCC in April 2025 on nine charges of money laundering and diversion of N8.38 billion.
However, the anti-graft agency later amended the charges, leading to their re-arraignment before the court in June last year on five charges.. The amendment reduced, not just the number of counts, it also cut down the amount allegedly diverted to about N1.6 billion.
According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly transferred funds from the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury account domiciled in UBA into the account of Jasfad Resources Enterprise between October and December 2024 under the guise of legitimate financial transactions.
The commission further alleged that they laundered another money between January and March 2025 using the same method.
The EFCC said the alleged transactions violated provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.