The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday arraigned the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, and three other officials before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on money laundering and terrorism financing to the tune of $9.7 million.
The defendants, including Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose, and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed, were brought before Justice Emeka Nwite on a ten-count charge. They pleaded “not guilty” to all counts.
One of the charges alleges that Commissioner Yakubu Adamu, in 2024, “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,” an act contrary to the Money Laundering Act.
A more severe charge accuses the commissioner and his co-defendants, alongside some officials now at large, of conspiracy “to provide funds in the aggregate sum of about Two Million, Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD 2,300,000) in cash for the benefit of Bello Bodejo and persons associated with him.”
The charge states this was done “pursuant to approvals granted by the executive Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed,” and that they had reasonable grounds to believe the funds would be used to finance terrorism.
Following their plea, the prosecution counsel, Samuel Chime, requested a date for the commencement of trial. The defence counsel, however, presented separate bail applications for the defendants, which were filed on December 30, 2025.
The prosecution informed the court that it had filed a joint counter-affidavit opposing the bail applications.
Justice Nwite adjourned the case to January 5, 2026, to rule on the bail requests. He ordered that the four defendants be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the ruling.
Discussion about this post