Nigeria, May 13 -- 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 sta...