Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed on Wednesday fired a blistering broadside at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, dismissing allegations of terrorism financing linked to his administration as politically motivated intimidation aimed at forcing him into the ruling party.
Speaking in Bauchi while receiving an award as Safety Ambassador from the Safety Institute of Nigeria, the governor expressed shock that his name surfaced in court filings despite the constitutional immunity attached to his office. He described the development as a dangerous attempt to criminalise opposition politics.
Arewa PUNCH recalls that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday arraigned Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, alongside three others before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court over alleged terrorism financing and money laundering.
The defendants are facing a 10-count charge bordering on conspiracy, conversion of public funds and terrorism financing, contrary to Sections 2(1) and 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Reacting, Mohammed said the allegations were a smokescreen designed to punish him for refusing to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“I was told I’m being accused of terrorism as a governor—someone who is the head of the opposition,” he said. “My commissioner has been kept and will not be released by the EFCC, even when I have immunity as a governor.”
In a defiant tone that electrified the audience, the governor accused the federal government of weaponising institutions against opposition figures while abandoning its constitutional duties to the states.
“This is a country where when you work, you become a villain,” he said. “I have kept quiet for too long for peace and security. But I am not a coward. I will not join them. I refuse to join their party.”
Mohammed alleged that despite Bauchi’s contributions to national stability, the state has received little federal support. “In my state, they have not provided one kilometre of road. They have not provided water. Even security agencies—I am the one paying them to work for us. And they have the guts to talk,” he declared.
The governor insisted that Bauchi had continued to deliver results against the odds, citing improvements in healthcare, primary education and efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children. He noted that the state had earned multiple federal awards for development and good governance.
“We have been awarded three times by the federal government for development and good governance—and they are accusing us? What kind of paradox is this?” he asked.
Mohammed warned that his administration would not be cowed by what he described as political intimidation, vowing to resist any attempt to criminalise dissent.
“If they want war, we will give them war. If they want peace, we will give them peace,” he said. “I won’t allow anybody to criminalise me because I’m not in their party.”
As the legal drama unfolds in Abuja, the Bauchi governor’s fiery response has added fresh fuel to the national debate over the alleged politicisation of anti-graft institutions—and the shrinking space for opposition voices ahead of the next electoral cycle.
About The Author
