Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance Yakubu Adamu and his co-defendants bail in the sum of N100 million each over alleged terrorism financing offences.
Justice Umar granted the bail applications on Wednesday after holding that the defendants placed sufficient materials before the court for it to exercise its discretion.
The judge ordered Adamu and the other defendants to produce two sureties each in the same sum. One of the sureties must be a serving permanent secretary, while the other must be a director in the civil service.
The court also ordered the defendants to deposit their passports with the court registry and to report to the office of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Bauchi State every Monday pending the determination of the case.
Justice Umar adjourned the matter to February 26 for the commencement of trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had filed a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism financing and money laundering against Adamu and three others.
The other defendants are Balarabe Ilelah, Aminu Bose and Kabiru Mohammed.
The defendants were earlier arraigned on December 31, 2025, before Justice Emeka Nwite and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Nwite had declined their bail application on January 5 and ordered that they be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, citing the nature of the charges.
Following the end of the court vacation, the case was reassigned to Justice Umar, before whom the defendants were re-arraigned on January 16.
Their bail application was argued and adjourned to January 21 for ruling.
In their application, counsel to the defendants, Chris Uche, told the court that new facts had emerged since the earlier refusal of bail by a sister court.
Mr Uche argued that Bello Bodejo, President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, had not been convicted of any terrorism offence by any court.
He said the terrorism-related charge earlier filed against Mr Bodejo was withdrawn by the Federal Government and dismissed by the court on May 29, 2024.
He further submitted that there was no proscription order in the Federal Government’s Official Gazette designating Bodejo or his organisation as a terrorist entity, citing Section 48(1) of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2022.
Uche also argued that the court had the power to grant bail under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
In his ruling, Justice Umar held that the proof of evidence attached to the charge did not establish sufficient grounds of terrorism financing.
He stated that financial donations, without proof that the recipient is a terrorist or terrorist organisation, could not on their own sustain the charge.
The judge dismissed the objections raised by the prosecution against the bail application and fixed February 26 for trial.
