A Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, and three other senior civil servants to bail in connection with alleged terrorism financing amounting to 9.7 million dollars.
In a ruling on Wednesday, Justice Mohammed Umar granted the defendants bail in the sum of ₦100 million each, stating that the court was satisfied with the materials presented to justify granting the application judicially and judiciously.
The court ordered each defendant to provide two civil service sureties at the level of permanent secretary and director, deposit their international passports, and report weekly to the DSS office in Bauchi State.
The judge adjourned the case until 26 February for the start of trial.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the EFCC has filed a 10-count charge against Adamu, Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed, accusing them of terrorism financing and money laundering offences.
The defendants were initially denied bail in January by Justice Emeka Nwite, who cited threats to national security. However, following the reassignment of the case to Justice Umar, the defendants were re-arraigned and renewed their bail application.
Their lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, argued that there was no legal basis to link the defendants to terrorism, noting that Bello Bodejo, named in several counts, had neither been convicted nor designated as a terrorist under Nigerian law. He also cited provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act in support of bail.
Justice Umar agreed with the defence submissions and granted bail, paving the way for the trial to begin later this month.
