A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned indefinitely the trial of Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, and three co-defendants facing charges of terrorism financing and money laundering.
The adjournment, described as "sine die" (without a fixed date), was ordered by Justice Mohammed Umar on Thursday following a letter from the prosecution team, led by EFCC counsel M.O. Adebayo, addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
The letter requested the transfer and reassignment of the case due to concerns over its handling.At the time of the hearing, the Chief Judge had not yet responded to the prosecution's petition. Justice Umar informed the court of the development and stated that it would be inappropriate to proceed with the matter pending the Chief Judge's decision on the transfer request.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/705/2025 and brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), involves a 10-count charge against Adamu and the others. The EFCC alleges that between January and May 2024, the defendants conspired to convert and channel millions of dollars from Bauchi State Government funds to individuals linked to terrorist elements, in violation of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants were initially arraigned on December 31, 2025, before Justice Emeka Nwite, who granted bail to Adamu in January 2026 in the sum of N500 million with two sureties owning landed property in specified high-end districts of Abuja (Maitama, Asokoro, or Gwarimpa), subject to verification.
Earlier bail applications had been denied during the court's vacation period.During Thursday's proceedings, defence counsel Chris Uche (SAN) expressed strong objection to the indefinite adjournment and criticized the prosecution for not copying the defence team on the transfer request letter, describing the move as unfair and detrimental to the administration of justice.
Uche warned that leaving the case without a definite date could effectively allow it to "die." He also raised an administrative request for the release of Adamu's passport to facilitate Hajj preparations, though the judge treated it as outside the court's immediate purview.
The defence indicated plans to formally write to the Chief Judge to protest the lack of notification.The indefinite adjournment comes amid reports that the EFCC has petitioned for the case's reassignment, citing discomfort with the current judicial handling.
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