Daniel Otera
Amid economic hardship and deepening mistrust in public institutions, Nigerian courts continue to permit high-profile individuals standing trial for corruption to travel abroad mostly for medical treatment or religious pilgrimage.
The latest is Ali Bello, nephew to former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who on Wednesday received court approval to travel to the United Kingdom for medical reasons, despite facing prosecution in a ₦3 billion money laundering case.
The court also granted a co-defendant, Yakubu Adabenege, permission to travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj. Both men are standing trial before Justice Obiora Egwuatu at the Federal High Court in Abuja. They are accused of laundering billions allegedly siphoned from Kogi State’s local government funds during Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration. The trial has now been adjourned until October.
Mr Bello and Mr Adabenege are not isolated cases. Over the past few years, Nigerian courts have granted foreign travel permissions to several high-profile individuals facing trial for corruption, particularly for medical or religious reasons.
While such permissions are typically subject to bail conditions including passport return deadlines, critics argue that they highlight a troubling pattern of leniency towards the powerful.
A review of court rulings and media reports between 2021 and 2025 confirms that at least three politically exposed persons (PEPs) received judicial approval to travel abroad while undergoing active prosecution. Of these, two cited health-related needs, while another fled after obtaining travel clearance. The trend raises fresh concerns about unequal access to justice and potential abuse of the system.
Key Exit Cases from 2020 to 2025
Rochas Okorocha – Former Imo State Governor
In July 2022, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted Mr Okorocha, who is facing ₦2.9 billion fraud charges, permission to travel to the United States for medical treatment. His passport was temporarily released with the condition that he return within three days of completing the treatment. EFCC had earlier expressed frustration over delays in his arraignment due to non-cooperation.
Hadi Sirika: Former Minister of Aviation
In November 2024, the FCT High Court allowed Mr Sirika to travel abroad alongside his sick mother for medical treatment. He is currently under EFCC investigation for an alleged ₦8 billion contract fraud tied to the Nigeria Air project. Though the court granted his request, EFCC later raised concerns that the minister had misrepresented the purpose of the trip.
Abdulrasheed Maina: Former Pension Reform Task Force Chairman
Mr Maina was granted temporary release during his ₦2 billion pension fraud trial in 2020. He failed to return and was later arrested in the Niger Republic and extradited to Nigeria by Interpol. His case has since become a cautionary tale about the risks of judicial leniency.
Although these approvals fall within judicial discretion and are subject to bail terms, civil society actors have repeatedly raised concerns over perceived double standards.
In a 2024 NOIPolls survey, 67% of respondents stated that “the judiciary is more lenient with politically exposed persons than with average Nigerians.”
Legal analysts have flagged issues such as a lack of consistent medical verification, weak monitoring of return deadlines, and a judicial culture that appears to favour influential defendants.
“There’s a growing perception that the courtroom door remains open for the powerful literally and symbolically,” said Lagos-based rights lawyer, Solomon Mankinde.
In Mr Bello’s case, the EFCC did not oppose the application. The judge ordered the temporary release of the defendants’ passports, with instructions for Mr Bello to return his by 12 September and Mr Adabenege by 30 August.
However, past EFCC filings and media reports show that some defendants have delayed their return or remained abroad far longer than permitted.
For example, Rochas Okorocha was earlier accused by the EFCC of deliberately evading arraignment by refusing service of his charges, prompting the Commission to arrest him at his Abuja residence ahead of trial.
“There is a pattern of delay and non-cooperation,” EFCC counsel told the court, as reported by Vanguard and Channels TV. “The defendant has frustrated this process repeatedly.”
Similarly, after Abdulrasheed Maina absconded, the court revoked his bail and issued a warrant for his arrest. His extradition became possible only after months of diplomatic engagement.
In 2024, the EFCC also criticised Hadi Sirika’s use of medical exit permissions to stall investigations and ignore summons.
The EFCC alleges that between June 2020 and early 2021, Ali Bello and his co-defendants conspired to move over ₦3.081 billion through corporate fronts and shell companies.
Access Bank’s compliance team flagged a pattern of large cash lodgements into the accounts of Fazab Business Enterprise and Killest Nature Ltd, followed by swift withdrawals, often just below the ₦10 million threshold that triggers scrutiny under Nigeria’s anti-money laundering law.
“The structure of these transactions clearly indicates layering and concealment,” said EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, during the 20 May hearing.
Access Bank official Achille Ofure testified that the accounts received “unusual inflows from multiple local government sources” in Kogi State, suggesting diversion of public funds.
Between 2019 and 2023, Kogi State allocated over ₦28 billion to local government infrastructure, healthcare, and education, according to the state’s Budget Performance Reports and Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
However, Tracka a citizen-led budget tracking platform supported by BudgIT found that many of these projects were either poorly executed or completely abandoned.
In Dekina LGA, several primary healthcare centres still lack electricity and trained staff, despite repeated provisions for rural health improvement. In Okene and Lokoja, classroom construction and borehole projects tagged as “ongoing” in the 2022 capital budget remain incomplete as of late 2023.
A peer-reviewed study on Kogi constituency projects between 2012 and 2022 found that over 70% of tracked projects were either abandoned or not completed to specification.
“Boreholes installed in 2013 were no longer functional by 2018,” the report noted, pointing to systemic infrastructure failure.
According to the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index by the National Bureau of Statistics, 64.3% of Kogi residents live in multidimensional poverty with healthcare, school attendance, and child nutrition among the worst-hit indicators.
“What the data shows is that the money voted for development is not reaching the people,” said Sa’adatu Musa, a data analyst with BudgIT. “And when individuals accused of diverting such funds are granted international travel while on trial, it sends a message that accountability is selective.”
The trial of Ali Bello and his co-defendants continues in October. By then, both men are expected to have returned from their respective trips.
