By Charles Maduka
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has described allegations of terrorism financing linked to his administration as political persecution, insisting he is being targeted for refusing to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress. He said the actions against him were aimed at intimidating opposition figures.
The governor spoke in Bauchi while receiving an award as Safety Ambassador from the Safety Institute of Nigeria. He expressed concern that despite enjoying constitutional immunity, his name was mentioned in court documents connected to the case involving his commissioner for finance.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission recently arraigned Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, alongside Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose, and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed before a Federal High Court in Abuja. They are facing a 10-count charge bordering on conspiracy, conversion of public funds, money laundering, and terrorism financing under the Money Laundering Act, 2022.
Reacting, Mohammed said the accusations were politically motivated and accused the EFCC and the federal government of using state institutions to pressure him into joining the ruling party. He said he had kept quiet for the sake of peace but would no longer tolerate attempts to criminalise him, stressing that he was not a coward and would not defect.
The governor also accused the federal government of abandoning its responsibilities to Bauchi State while still criticising his administration. He said his government had continued to invest in healthcare, primary education, and reducing out-of-school children, earning multiple awards for good governance. Mohammed warned that his administration would resist political intimidation but maintained that he remained committed to transparency, accountability, and working with the federal government in the interest of national development.
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