A Federal High Court in Abuja has declined the bail request of Yakubu Adamu, Bauchi state commissioner of finance, who is facing trial over allegations of terrorism financing totalling $9.7 million.
The court also rejected similar bail applications filed by three other defendants being prosecuted alongside Adamu.
Delivering the ruling on Monday, Emeka Nwite, presiding judge, said the charges against the defendants pose a serious danger to national security and public safety.
Nwite explained that terrorism offences undermine public order and that releasing the defendants before trial could expose the public to risk, stressing that this consideration outweighed the argument for bail.
The judge nevertheless directed that the case should proceed under accelerated hearing.
He said, “I am not unmindful of the constitutional provision of Section 36(5) which provides that every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until he is proven guilty.”
“But I must not hesitate to state that the said constitutional provision is not absolutely right. In the consideration of application for bail, all factors have to be considered.”
Referencing the supreme court decision in “Bamaiyi v. State”, Nwite stated that the apex court had held that “it is proper to consider the nature of the offence, the nature of the evidence in support of it and the severity of the punishment which conviction will entail”.
He noted that the likelihood of the defendants appearing for trial and not attempting to obstruct justice are vital considerations which “are not matters that should be glossed over”.
“I cannot say more than this erudite jurist. Our criminal justice system has its stipulations and safeguards for the prosecutor, the accused and the victim,” Nwite said.
“In the proper operation of that system, it can be said that it is in the interest of the society and with those safeguards, that if an application for bail pending trial, there is a good reason to believe or strongly agreed that the accused will not jump bail — thereby making himself available to stand his trial and/or will not interfere with witnesses thereby constituting an obstacle in the way of justice, the court will be acting within the undoubted discretion to grant bail.”
The judge said he had reviewed the affidavit evidence, the proof of evidence before the court and the statement of Dan Lawan Abdulmumuni alongside other prosecution witnesses.
“I have also taken cognisance that terrorism related offences threatened social order and pre-trial release could endanger the public,” he said.
The Judge ruled that the prosecution had successfully established reasonable grounds to suspect criminal involvement on the part of the defendants.
According to him, the interest of justice would be better served by speeding up the case rather than granting bail.
He therefore refused the application and adjourned the matter to January 13 for commencement of trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had earlier arraigned Adamu on a 10-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/705/2025.
He is being tried alongside Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed, listed as second to fourth defendants.
According to the EFCC, they allegedly provided about $2.3 million to Bello Bodejo, president of Miyetti Allah, and individuals linked to him, based on approvals said to have been issued by Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the funds were deployed to finance a terrorist organisation in violation of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The EFCC further claimed that the defendants concealed the origin of Bauchi state funds by moving the money through bureau de change operators before converting it to dollars for unlawful activities.
Separately, Adamu is also standing trial in another case involving Ayab Agro Products and Freight Company Ltd over alleged N4.6 billion money laundering linked to transactions carried out while he served as a Polaris Bank branch manager in Bauchi.
He was previously granted bail in that case in the sum of N500 million.