January 13, 2026 l By Stephen — Dalena Reporters
ABUJA, Nigeria — A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered that the terrorism financing case involving Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to a substantive judge, in a development that pauses trial proceedings after the court resumed from its vacation period.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who has been presiding over the matter, ruled that because the case came up during the court’s vacation, it can no longer be handled by him under a vacation docket and must be reassigned for full hearing by a permanent judge.
The decision follows procedural interruptions in the trial process after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Adamu a former Polaris Bank branch manager turned Bauchi State finance commissioner alongside three other defendants on 10-count charges of alleged terrorism financing and money laundering.
During proceedings on Tuesday, defence counsel Chris Uche, SAN, informed the court that Adebayo Ojo, SAN, had been engaged as new counsel for the EFCC and that junior lawyers were expected to appear for the prosecution. However, when the matter was called, no one appeared on behalf of the prosecution, prompting Justice Nwite to question the status of the case.
Adamu and his co-accused — Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose, and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed — pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on December 31, 2025. Earlier in January, the court denied their bail applications on grounds that the offences allegedly threaten national security and public safety, remanding them to Kuje Correctional Centre pending trial.
The charge sheet, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/705/2025, alleges that the defendants conspired to provide cash totalling millions of dollars without passing through official financial institutions conduct the EFCC contends could have been used to benefit persons associated with terrorism.
By returning the file to the Chief Judge, Justice Nwite ensured that the case will be allocated to a judge with a full term jurisdiction, a necessary procedural step to uphold judicial standards and ensure continuity of proceedings. Legal observers say the reassignment will set the stage for a more structured timetable for the trial once the substantive judge is appointed.
As the matter moves back into administrative review before reassignment, stakeholders and observers will be watching closely how the court navigates complex intersections of terrorism legislation, national security considerations and procedural fairness in one of the country’s high-profile financial crimes prosecutions.