The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday arraigned Bauchi State Commissioner of Finance, Yakubu Adamu, alongside three co-defendants over alleged terrorism financing totalling $9.7 million.
The defendants — Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed — were arraigned on 10 counts before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/705/2025.
All four pleaded not guilty.
The charges, filed on 30 December, allege that between January and May 2024, the defendants and others said to be at large conspired to provide and disguise millions of dollars in Bauchi State Government funds for the benefit of Bello Bodejo and his associates, allegedly to finance a terrorist group.
‘That you, Yakubu Adamu (being Commissioner for Finance, Bauchi State Government), sometimes in the year 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did receive cash payments in the sum of Six Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars (USD 6,950,000) otherwise than through a financial institution, and committed an offence contrary to Section 2(1) and Section 19(1)(d) and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022’, one of the charges reads.
Another charge alleges that the defendants conspired to provide cash totalling $2.3 million to Bello Bodejo and others, allegedly with approval from Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, with ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ the funds would be used to finance a terrorist group, contrary to Section 26(1) and punishable under Section 21(2)(a) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Adamu is also facing a separate six counts involving an alleged N4.6 billion money laundering scheme linked to Polaris Bank Ltd, in which prosecutors allege that funds intended for the supply of motorcycles to the Bauchi State Government were diverted without delivery.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, EFCC counsel, Samuel Chime, requested a trial date to present witnesses and evidence.
Defence counsel, Gordy Uche (SAN), informed the court that separate bail applications filed on December 30 had been served on the prosecution.
‘My Lord, do not be carried away by the nature of the charge. I urge the court to grant bail on liberal terms’, Uche said, adding that Adamu’s continued detention had affected salary payments to about 60,000 Bauchi State workers.
Chime opposed the bail applications, citing the gravity of the terrorism-related allegations, the money laundering counts and the magnitude of the sums involved. He also noted Adamu’s pending money laundering charge before the same court.
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter to 5 January 2026, for ruling on the bail applications and ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the outcome.
