Judge returns Bauchi officials’ terrorism financing case file for reassignment

Judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, returned the case file of the terrorism financing trial of the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance Yusuf Adamu and his co-defendants for reassignment to a new judge.

Mr Nwite took up the case in December as a vacation judge tasked with handling emergency matters during the last Christmas/New Year festivities.

The judge said on Tuesday that with the resumption of the court from vacation, the matter assigned for adjudication during the break had to be returned to the Chief Judge for reassignment to the substantive judge, who will see the case through to the end.

Mr Nwite announced the decision as the parties and their lawyers came prepared for commencement of trial on Tuesday. Defence lawyer, Chris Uche, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN), said he was ready for trial, while Adebayo Ojo stepped into the matter as the new prosecution lawyer.

“I have listened to the submission of the learned senior counsel for the defendants,” the judge was quoted as saying in a statement from the EFCC on Tuesday, adding, “it is not in doubt that this is a vacation matter which was returned to the registrar after the vacation for onward return to the Chief Judge for reassigning the case substantively.”

EFCC arraigned Mr Adamu and his co-defendants on 31 December 2025 on 10 counts of terrorism financing and sundry money laundering, offences which allegedly involved $9.7 million in public funds.

The charges accused them of releasing $2.33 million from the state government’s coffers to Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore leader, Bello Bodejo, and other persons who allegedly used the cash, partly or wholly, to finance an alleged terrorist or terrorist group. The defendants allegedly released the funds to Mr Bodejo, with the approval of Governor Bala Mohammed, between January and May 2024.

The prosecution also alleged that nearly $7 million belonging to the state government was released for Mr Adamu’s benefit in a money laundering scheme.

Apart from Mr Adamu, other co-defendants indicted in the case are Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Bose, and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed, who are said to be civil servants and signatories to the state government’s accounts or payment instruments.

An exclusive PREMIUM TIMES report, which relied on documents filed by the EFCC in the case, detailed the off-bank and unofficial channels used by the officials of the Bauchi State government to disburse funds to various individuals and corporate entities for unknown purposes.

But the defendants denied all 10 charges during their arraignment on 31 December 2025.

Shortly after the defendants took their plea, defence lawyer, Gordy Uche, a SAN, urged the court to grant the accused persons bail on liberal terms.

However, EFCC lawyer Samuel Chime opposed bail, citing the weighty charges against them.

After listening to the parties’ submission, Mr Nwite ordered the defendants to remain in prison pending the ruling on their bail application and adjourned the matter.

READ ALSO: Inside EFCC’s terrorism financing, money laundering charges against Bauchi officials

RUling on the defendants’ bail application on 5 January, the judge denied them bail, saying the charges against them bordered on threats to national security and social order.

He then adjourned the matter till Tuesday for commencement of trial, which stalled due to the judge’s decision to return the case file for fresh assignment to a judge following the end of the Christmas/New Year vacation.

Meanwhile, the same judge, on 2 January, granted Mr Adamu bail in a separate money laundering case.

In the money laundering case, the EFCC charged Mr Adamu alongside Ayab Agro Products and Freight Company Ltd with six counts involving N4.65 billion. The commission alleged that he committed the offences while serving as the branch manager of Polaris Bank in Bauchi between June and December 2023.