Alleged Terrorism Financing: EFCC Files Petition Against FHC Judge, Seeks Transfer Of Case Against Bauchi Commissioner, 3 Others

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a petition against Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking his disqualification from a case involving alleged terrorism financing.

The commission, in a petition to the Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Tsoho, said it no longer had confidence in the trial judge’s ability to conduct the case objectively.

Consequently, it sought the reassignment of the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/705/2025, which is pending against the Commissioner for Finance in Bauchi State, Yakubu Adamu, and three other persons alleged to have financed terrorism.

Adamu, who is a former manager of a branch of Polaris Bank Plc in Bauchi State, was on December 31, 2025, arraigned on a ten-count charge, alongside three of his alleged accomplices who were identified as civil servants—Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose, and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed.

The charge against the defendants bordered on conspiracy, conversion of public funds, and alleged terrorism financing, contrary to Section 2(1) and Section 19(1)(d) and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

According to the EFCC, the defendants, without recourse to any financial institution, undertook transactions valued at about $9.7 million

For instance, it told the court that sometime between January 2024 and May 2024, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Adamu, working in cahoots with the Accountant-General of the state, Sirajo Jaja, one Samaila Irmiya Liman, and the other three defendants—who were signatories to the Bauchi State Government accounts—gave $2.3 million in cash to Bello Bodejo and persons associated with him.

Bodejo, the president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, was previously arrested and charged with three counts of terrorism by the federal government.

He was arrested at the Miyetti Allah’s office in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State shortly after he unveiled a vigilante group.