Court Admits Bauchi Finance Commissioner to N500m Bail with Two Sureties.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
January 2, 2026
Abuja—The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday granted bail to the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamul, in the sum of N500 million, with two sureties in like sum, over his alleged involvement in a multi-billion-naira money laundering case.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who delivered the ruling, held that the bail conditions were deliberately stringent to ensure the defendant’s availability for trial and to safeguard the integrity of the judicial process. The court ordered that the two sureties must be landowners within Maitama, Asokoro, or Gwarimpa districts of Abuja, with verifiable property documents to be scrutinized by the court registry. In addition, the sureties are to depose to affidavits of means.
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Justice Nwite further directed that Adamu and his sureties deposit their international passports with the court registrar and refrain from travelling outside Nigeria without the express permission of the court. They are also required to submit two recent passport photographs each.
Pending the perfection of the bail conditions, the judge ordered that the commissioner be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre. The matter was subsequently adjourned to January 20, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite noted that the prosecution, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), failed to present compelling reasons to justify continued detention of the defendant. He emphasized that the power to grant bail is a discretionary one which must be exercised judicially and judiciously, adding that the court found no credible evidence suggesting that Adamu would jump bail or interfere with the trial.
According to The Democracy Newsline, the EFCC, in a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/694/2025, listed Adamu and Ayab Agro Products and Freight Company Ltd as the first and second defendants in a money laundering case involving approximately N4.6 billion. The charge was filed on December 19, 2025, by EFCC counsel Samuel Chime of the commission’s Legal and Prosecution Department.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants facilitated, converted, transferred, concealed, and used funds totaling N4.65 billion, which were allegedly availed by Polaris Bank under the pretext of financing the supply of motorcycles to the Bauchi State Government through Emmanuel Asomugha General Enterprises.
According to the prosecution, the motorcycles were never supplied, an act said to contravene Section 21(a) and punishable under Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
One of the counts further accused Adamu and others of retaining and transferring proceeds of unlawful activities to nominees and third parties. This allegedly occurred in 2023 through multiple transactions, including transfers via I.S. Makayye Investment Resources Ltd and the movement of N165.9 million to Ayab Agro Products and Freight Company Ltd. The EFCC maintained that the funds formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, contrary to Section 20(a) of the same Act.
Adamu and the corporate defendant were arraigned on December 30, 2025, where they pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge. The court had earlier ordered his remand pending determination of his bail application, which was argued the same day.
Meanwhile, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adamu and three other Bauchi State government officials are also standing trial before the same court in a separate case involving alleged terrorism financing to the tune of $9.7 million, adding another layer of legal complexity to the unfolding proceedings.
As the trial date approaches, the case continues to draw public attention, given its implications for public finance management and accountability in Bauchi State and beyond.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JANUARY 2ND 2026)
