The new judge shifted away from the decision of an earlier judge who denied the Bauchi State commissioner and his co-defendants bail on the grounds of the gravity of the terrorism financing allegations against them.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has reversed a decision denying bail to the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, and his co-defendants over the terrorism financing charges brought against them by the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC).
The judge, Mohammed Umar, granted bail to the Bauchi State official and his co-defendants in a ruling on Wednesday, shifting away from the earlier decision of another judge of the court who denied them bail earlier this month.
The earlier judge, Emeka Nwite, who briefly handled the case during the court's Christmas/New Year vacation, had struck out the defendants' bail application in a ruling on 5 January, citing the gravity of the charges against them and the social implications of approving their release from custody while they were on terrorism-related trial.
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Mr Nwite quitted the case on 14 January and returned the case file to the chief judge for reassignment to a new judge upon the court's resumption from vacatio.
The new judge, Mr Usman, who was reassigned the case, granted bail to the defendants on Wednesday in the sum of N100 million while ruling on their re-presented bail application.
Mr Umar ruled that the court had yet to determine whether the charges were proper at the stage of the proceedings but only concerned with whether a criminal case had been disclose.
"The purpose of granting bail is not to set an accused person free" to commit wrongdoing within the criminal process, but it is temporary and subsists only for the duration of the trial.
He said after reviewing the evidence provided by the defendants and counter-affidavits from the prosecution, the found that "the application hereby succeeds."
The court granted Mr Adamu and his fellow defendants bail in the sum of N100 million each with two sureties. One of the sureties must be a serving permanent secretary, while the other must be a serving director in the civil service.
The court also ordered the defendants to deposit their international passports.
In addition, they are to report every Monday to the State Security Service (SSS) in Bauchi State for monitoring pending the determination of the trial.
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The EFCC arraigned Mr Adamu and three other state officials before the Federal High Court in Abuja on 31 December 2025.
They were charged with 10 counts of terrorism financing and sundry money laundering offences.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants authorised the release of millions of dollars in Bauchi State government funds to certain individuals, including Bello Bodejo, a leader of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
The agency said the funds were used, in whole or in part, to finance a terrorist group or terrorist activities, an allegation the defendants denied.
A PREMIUM TMES report provided exclusive details of the allegations, including the roles of various individuals in the cash disbursements at the heart of the charges.
The commission said the alleged offences contravened provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
The case was initially heard during vacation by Emeka Nwite of the same court, who refused the defendants bail, holding that they were undeserving because of the nature of the charges.
After the court vacation, the case was reassigned to the new judge, Mr Umar.
The defendants were then rearraigned, and their lawyers refiled their bail application, which the new judge granted on Wednesday.
