By Obinna Uballa
A federal high court in Abuja has granted bail to Yakubu Adamu, Bauchi state commissioner for finance, in a terrorism financing and money laundering trial involving about $9.7 million.
In a ruling on Wednesday, Justice Mohammed Umar admitted Adamu and his co-defendants to bail of N100 million each, stating that the defendants provided sufficient evidence to justify the court’s exercise of discretion.
The court also imposed strict bail conditions. Each defendant must present two sureties, both of whom must be senior civil servants, a permanent secretary and a director. The defendants are also required to deposit their international passports with the court registry.
Justice Umar further ordered Adamu and the three other accused to report every Monday to the Department of State Services (DSS) office in Bauchi state until the trial concludes.
The case has been adjourned to February 26 for the commencement of trial.
Adamu, a former branch manager at Polaris Bank in Bauchi, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 10-count charge relating to terrorism financing and money laundering. His co-defendants are Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed.
They were arraigned on December 31, 2025, and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The EFCC alleges that the defendants conspired to provide about $2.3 million in cash to Bello Bodejo, president of Miyetti Allah, and associates, allegedly with approval from Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed.
The commission claims the funds were used, in whole or in part, to finance a terrorist group, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. It further alleged that the defendants attempted to conceal the origin of Bauchi state government funds by routing them through bureau de change operators and nominees before converting the money to US dollars for unlawful purposes.
Earlier, on January 5, vacation judge Emeka Nwite had denied the defendants’ bail applications, citing national security and public safety concerns. On January 13, he returned the case file to the chief judge of the federal high court for reassignment.
