There cannot be overseas travel  for  now for three men standing trial in connection with the alleged oil subsidy scam, a Lagos High Court ruled yesterday.
 Justice Lateefat Folami turned down  applications by  Mahmud Tukur, Abdullahi Alao and Felix Ochonogor to  travel out of the country for business or hajj.
Tukur is the son of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur  while Alao is the son of prominent Ibadan businessman,Alhaji Azeez Arisekola-Alao.
The duo had last Wednesday sought leave of the court to travel out of the country.
In their Motion on Notice before the vacation Judge, Justice  Folami, the applicants, through their counsel, Olaniran Obele, said they needed to travel to Paris and London for  business.
Specifically, Mahmud, the 1st applicant, asked to be allowed to travel  to attend the   board meeting of a company of which he is a director and thereafter to perform this year's hajj.
Ochonogor, the 2nd applicant, applied to  travel to Paris to enable him attend a business meeting on August 27, which would enable him  explain his present situation to his associates.
 Justice Folami  directed the three applicants, who are members of the Oil Marketing and Trading Companies (OM&Ts), to apply afresh to the trial judge for permission to travel.
She said  there was no compelling reason why they should not wait until the trial judge's resumption from annual vacation to apply for permission to travel.
Justice Folami also declined their  applications  for a change of the next hearing date for the case.
She told the applicants, who were recently granted bail, that she could not overrule the earlier order granted by the trial courts which  adjourned their trial to November 13, 2012. 
She said Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, who ordered the seizure of their travel  documents  did so to ensure that they appear for their trial on the fixed dates.
According to her, allowing them to travel for the pilgrimage which  begins in October will clash with the November dates earlier fixed for trial by the trial Judge.
She added  that their business meetings abroad have already been overtaken by their arraignment.
In arguing for the court's permission for the accussed persons to travel, their counsel had told the court that they would not abscond.
Obele's submission was however opposed  by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, who told the court that Justice Onigbanjo's order asking the applicants to drop their international passport could not be reviewed.
He said there was nothing in the exhibits tendered by the applicants  showing or suggesting   that the meetings they were to attend had been rescheduled.