Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has rejected allegations of terrorism financing linked to his administration, describing actions by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as politically motivated and aimed at punishing him for refusing to defect to the ruling party.
The governor spoke on Wednesday in Bauchi while receiving an award as Safety Ambassador from the Safety Institute of Nigeria. He expressed concern that his name appeared in court documents despite the constitutional immunity enjoyed by a sitting governor.
Earlier on Wednesday, the EFCC arraigned the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, alongside three others — Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed — before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The defendants were charged with alleged terrorism financing and money laundering.
The four 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 to the development, Mohammed said the allegations were driven by politics rather than evidence. He alleged that federal authorities were using state institutions to intimidate opposition figures who declined to align with the ruling party.
According to the governor, his administration has continued to shoulder responsibilities that should ordinarily fall to the federal government, including infrastructure and security support, despite limited resources. He maintained that Bauchi State had recorded progress in healthcare, education and efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children, earning multiple recognitions for governance and development.
Mohammed said he would not remain silent in the face of what he described as attempts to criminalise him and his administration, warning that his government would resist political intimidation.
He, however, reaffirmed his willingness to work with the federal government in the interest of national development, adding that his administration would continue to uphold transparency and accountability in governance.
