The trial of Bauchi State Accountant-General, Sirajo Muhammad Jaja, and others over alleged diversion and laundering of public funds continued on Monday, September 21, 2026, before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, with a United Bank for Africa compliance officer detailing a series of transfers from the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury Account into the account of a private business, Jasfad Resources Enterprises.
Jaja is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alongside Aliyu Abubakar, who trades under the name Jasfad Resources Enterprises, Abubakar Muhammed Hafiz, Ari Manga and Muhammed Aminu Bose. The prosecution alleges money laundering, conversion and diversion of Bauchi State public funds running into about ₦1.635 billion. The allegations have not been proved, and the defendants who have been arraigned pleaded not guilty.
The case has undergone amendments since the defendants were first arraigned in April 2025. Under the later amended charge, Abubakar became the first defendant and Jaja the second defendant. Earlier proceedings showed that some of the other persons named in the charge were listed as being at large.
At Monday’s proceedings, prosecution counsel Ekele E. Iheanacho, SAN, informed the court that the matter was for continuation of trial before calling the prosecution witness.
The witness, Williams Abimbola, a compliance officer with UBA, told the court that her responsibilities include receiving requests from law-enforcement agencies, responding to regulatory and investigative enquiries and carrying out other assignments given by the bank’s Chief Compliance Officer.
Bank statements and related documentation concerning the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury Account and Jasfad Resources Enterprises form a central part of the prosecution’s case. Earlier in the trial, the court admitted certified banking records after they were tendered through the UBA witness, although defence counsel indicated that their objections would be addressed in their final written submissions.
The EFCC alleges that Jaja and the other defendants were involved in moving public funds from the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury Account into the UBA account of Jasfad Resources Enterprises, operated by Abubakar.
Taking the court through transactions appearing in the records, the witness said three credit transfers entered the Jasfad account on October 29, 2024, from the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury Account. She identified the amounts as ₦13,144,500, ₦17,169,300 and ₦46,030,500.
She further testified that on November 7, 2024, a credit transfer of ₦17,886,250 was recorded, although the teller details were not captured in the record presented to the court.
According to her, two further transfers were made on November 15, 2024, on the order of the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury Account in the sums of ₦12,215,000 and ₦16,919,750.
The witness said another ₦90,373,550 was transferred on November 19, 2024, followed by a credit transfer of ₦140,087,500 on November 22.
She told the court that two additional transfers were recorded on December 24, 2024 — ₦24,192,000 and ₦48,892,500 respectively.
The UBA compliance officer further identified two substantial transfers made on December 27, 2024, in the sums of ₦335,040,000 and ₦300 million.
She also referred to transfers of ₦14,285,527.20 and ₦26,975,000 recorded around the end of December 2024.
The testimony then moved to transactions allegedly carried out in 2025.
According to the witness, on February 25, 2025, two credits of ₦19,840,000 and ₦13,020,000 were transferred from the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury Account into the Jasfad Resources Enterprises account.
She said another ₦16,105,223.70 was transferred on March 3, followed by ₦56,642,500 on March 5 and ₦45,923,790 on March 7.
The witness further identified a transfer of ₦11,253,500 on March 10, 2025.
On March 12, she said two credits of ₦49,280,000 and ₦30,720,000 were transferred into the Jasfad account, while another ₦28,262,500 was recorded on March 14.
The testimony is consistent with the central allegation contained in the amended charge: that public money belonging to the Bauchi State Government was transferred from its Sub-Treasury Account domiciled with UBA into Jasfad Resources Enterprises’ account with the same bank.
One of the amended counts alleges that between October 29 and December 31, 2024, the defendants converted ₦1.290 billion belonging to the Bauchi State Government through transfers from the Sub-Treasury Account into Jasfad Resources Enterprises.
Another count alleges that between January 3 and March 14, 2025, an additional ₦426.116 million in public funds was converted through similar transactions. The prosecution alleges that the conduct contravened Section 18(2)(b) and is punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
Abubakar has been described in the charge as a purported or unlicensed Bureau de Change operator trading as Jasfad Resources Enterprises. The prosecution’s case is that the private business received funds moved from the state treasury account during the periods covered by the charges.
The defence has previously challenged the competence of parts of the amended charge, arguing that some counts were duplicative and could expose the defendants to double jeopardy. Justice Egwuatu reserved ruling on that objection until the conclusion of the trial pursuant to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Jaja had also earlier sought permission from the court to temporarily retrieve his international passport to travel to Saudi Arabia for the 2026 Hajj and a medical check-up. Justice Egwuatu rejected the application after the EFCC opposed it, arguing that some persons connected with the case remained at large.
At the latest proceedings, counsel to the defendants indicated that they would require another date to continue the cross-examination of the prosecution witness.
Justice Egwuatu consequently adjourned the case to October 22, 2026, for continuation of the cross-examination and further trial.
