High Court denies Mustapha Hamid permission to travel during OSP trial

Former National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive, Mustapha Hamid’s application for permission to travel abroad while he stands trial over allegations of extortion in the petroleum sector has been dismissed by the High Court.

The application by Mr Hamid, the first accused in the case of The Republic v Mustapha Hamid and 7 Others, was opposed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

The court, in its ruling on Thursday, October 22, 2026, held that an accused person on bail whose movement is restricted must show compelling reasons before the restriction can be lifted, even temporarily. It found that the grounds Mr Hamid gave did not meet that test.

His movement restrictions remain in place, subject to any further orders from the court.

Mr Hamid, a former Minister for Information, and seven others are standing trial for extorting money from players in the petroleum sector. They earlier asked the court to strike out the charge sheet.

That application was dismissed and the pre-trial process went on.

The proceedings have also seen disagreement over scheduling. The court turned down an earlier request by Mr Hamid’s lead counsel, Joseph Kpemka, for an adjournment.

The trial is expected to move to the case management conference.