Alleged $9.7m Terrorism Financing: Judge Returns Bauchi Commissioner’s Case File for Reassignment

Abuja, Nigeria | January 13, 2026

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, ordered the return of the case file involving the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, for reassignment to a substantive judge.
While delivering the order, Justice Nwite explained that the matter was handled during the court’s vacation period and, as such, must be reassigned by the Chief Judge to a substantive judge for proper adjudication.

Yakubu Adamu is standing trial alongside Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose, and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed, following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, December 31, 2025. The defendants were charged on a 10-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism financing, contrary to Sections 2(1) and 19(1)(d) and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

One of the counts alleges that Yakubu Adamu, while serving as Commissioner for Finance of the Bauchi State Government, sometime in 2024 and within the jurisdiction of the court, received cash payments amounting to Six Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars (USD 6,950,000) outside the use of a financial institution, an offence said to be contrary to the provisions of the Act.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Earlier, on Monday, January 5, 2026, the court rejected the bail applications filed by the defendants and ordered their remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the commencement of trial.
At the proceedings, counsel to the defendants, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, informed the court that the defence was ready for the trial to begin. The EFCC, on its part, announced Adebayo Ojo as its new counsel to handle the prosecution of the case.

Reiterating the reason for the reassignment, Justice Nwite stated that the matter was strictly a vacation case that could not proceed substantively under his watch. According to him, “I have listened to the submission of the learned senior counsel for the defendants. 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.”
The case file has now been forwarded to the Chief Judge for reassignment to a substantive judge who will take over the trial.