The Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected an application by Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance Yakubu Adamu, seeking permission to travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the Hajj pilgrimage.
Judge Emeka Nwite held in a ruling on Monday that Mr Adamu, who faces alleged N4.65 billion money laundering charges, failed to place sufficient materials before the court to justify the request.
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In the ruling confirmed by PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, the judge upheld the objection raised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the affidavit attached to the application was defective because the applicant did not sign it.
Judge Nwite said an unsigned document has no probative value in law and therefore does not meet the minimum legal requirements.
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He added that although the court recognises the applicant’s fundamental rights under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, such rights are not absolute.
The judge also held that the case of former Delta State Governor James Ibori, cited by Mr Adamu in support of the application, does not apply to the present matter because Mr Ibori based his request on medical grounds.
The EFCC arraigned Mr Adamu on 30 December last year on N4.65 billion money laundering charges.
He, alongside his corporate co‑defendant, Ayab Agro Products and Freight Company Ltd, was arraigned on six counts, including conspiracy, money laundering, and unlawful acquisition of funds.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
On 2 February, Judge Nwite granted the commissioner bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties.
Motion to travel for Mecca
Mr Adamu had sought in his application an order directing the release of his passport to enable him to travel to Mecca for pilgrimage.
He sought the court’s permission to travel to Mecca and return to Nigeria by 21 March.
An affidavit sworn by Emmanuel Tsebo, a litigation secretary in the law firm of Chris Uche SAN & Co, and filed in support of Mr Adamu’s motion, noted that the commissioner was arraigned on allegations of misappropriation of funds and had been admitted to bail by the court.
It recalled that the court ordered Mr Adamu to deposit his passport with the deputy chief registrar for safe custody.
However, it said mr Adamu had an urgent need to attend pilgrimage in Mecca and return to Nigeria on 21 March.
Mr Adamu said performing Hajj is a highly recommended rite for Muslim faithful and forms an integral part of his religious practice. He undertook to return the travel documents to the registry of the court on or before 22 March and to attend his trial.
The Bauchi commissioner said granting the application would not prejudice the prosecution and prayed the court to allow him to travel in the interest of justice.
Backstory
The EFCC arraigned Mr Adamu and his co-defendant late last year, accusing them of N4.65 billion money laundering. The commission alleged in the six charges that Mr Adamu, who is the prime suspect, committed the alleged offences in 2023 while he was the branch manager of Polaris Bank in Bauchi.
It said the defendants channelled funds through a series of complex transactions to disguise their illicit origin from an unlawful activity.
According to the EFCC, the defendants carried out the fraudulent scheme under the guise of financing the purchase of motorcycles for the Bauchi State Government. The motorcycles were never delivered.
Terrorism trial
Mr Adamu is also facing terrorism financing charges involving as much as $9.7 million alongside three Bauchi State officials.
The EFCC arraigned the defendants on 31 December 2025 on 10 counts of terrorism financing and sundry money laundering offences.
The charges alleged that they released $2.33 million belonging to the state government to a Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore leader, Bello Bodejo, and other persons who allegedly used the cash, partly or wholly, to finance an alleged terrorist group.
The defendants allegedly released the funds to Mr Bodejo between January and May 2024.
The earlier judge, Mr Nwite, who briefly handled the case during the Christmas and New Year vacation, struck out the defendants’ bail application on 5 January, citing the gravity of the charges and the social implications of approving their release from custody while they were on terrorism-related trial.
When the matter was reassigned to Judge Mohammed Umar, he granted bail to the defendants in the sum of N100 million on their re-presented bail application.
The judge said he found the bail application meritorious after reviewing the evidence provided by the defendants and counter-affidavits filed by the prosecution.
However, on 26 February, Judge Umar adjourned the case indefinitely following a petition by the EFCC requesting the transfer of the matter to another court.
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The anti-graft agency, in a petition to Chief Judge John Tsoho, expressed discomfort with the handling of the matter and requested that the case be transferred.
Mr Adamu’s lawyer, Chris Uche, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, described the development as “unfair”.
He said the right of the defence had been taken away by the failure of the prosecution to serve them with a copy of the letter.
Thhe judge adjourned the case pending the chief judge’s decision.
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