- Says Bauchi Gov’s Claims Wild, Far-Fetched
- Urges Gov To Focus On Governance And Allow It To Carry Out Its Mandate
- Court Slaps ₦500m Bail On Bauchi Finance Commissioner
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed claims by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed that he is being politically persecuted, describing the allegations as “wild” and “far-fetched.”
TheMatrix Newspaper reports that trouble started when Mohammed had earlier accused the EFCC of political persecution following legal actions against some officials of his administration, which he claimed were meant to pressure him into defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Reacting in a statement on Friday on its X platform, the anti-graft agency said it operates independently and is not influenced by any political office holder, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, whom the governor had accused of instigating the probe.
The EFCC said it was wrong and derogatory to link its activities in Bauchi State to political interests, insisting that its investigations are guided strictly by law.
It added that Bala Mohammed was already standing trial for money laundering before becoming governor and that his current immunity only put the case on hold.
The commission urged the governor to focus on governance and allow it to carry out its mandate, stressing that anyone facing charges should seek redress in court rather than allege persecution.
“The EFCC is an independent agency created to fight economic and financial crimes,” the statement began.
“The commission is non-partisan and discharges its mandate without affection or ill will.
“The attempt to portray it as a pliable agency that panders to the demands of certain political interests is therefore mischievous and condemnable.”
The EFCC said it was “derogatory” for the governor to link its operations in Bauchi state to the influence of any political office holder.
“It is derogatory for Mohammed to ascribe the commission’s activities in Bauchi State to the influence of Mr Wike,” the statement added.
“It is important to state that no political office holder is in a position to influence the investigative activities of the commission.
“If Bala Mohammed wants to be honest, he would have revealed to Nigerians that he was standing trial for money laundering at the time he won election as governor of Bauchi state.
“Only the constitutional immunity from prosecution, which his current office attracts, has put that case in abeyance.
“Who also influenced the commission to investigate him in 2016 and charge him to court?”
On cases involving some Bauchi state government officials, the EFCC said the details had already been filed before the courts and were open to public scrutiny.
“It is the height of hypocrisy for opposition politicians to be quick to scream persecution each time an opposition figure is called to account but are mute when a member of the ruling party faces the same ordeal,” the anti-graft agency said.
“Recently, the commission arraigned a ranking member of the ruling party in court for alleged corruption, and not a whimper of persecution was heard from any of the political divide.
“Crying wolf over issues of terrorism financing is like clutching at straws. The Commission did not invent the law, and where there are offences punishable by extant laws, EFCC will be failing in its responsibility to do otherwise. ”
The EFCC urged the Bauchi governor to concentrate on governance and allow the agency to carry out its mandate of sanitising the country’s financial system.
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court in Abuja has slapped a hefty fine on Yakubu Adamu, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Finance in his ongoing money laundering trial.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, the commissioner was admitted to a “₦500 million bail bond with two sureties in like sum.”
The ruling follows intense legal arguments regarding the commissioner’s alleged involvement in a massive financial scheme involving nearly ₦4.65 billion.
Justice Nwite was meticulous in setting the terms for Adamu’s temporary release. The judge mandated that the two sureties must be established landowners within the elite districts of Maitama, Asokoro, or Gwarimpa in Abuja. To ensure authenticity, the judge directed that the “property documents shall be verified by the court registry.”
Furthermore, the court imposed several stringent layers of oversight:
- The “sureties must also depose to an affidavit of means.”
- Both “the defendant and the sureties shall deposit their passports with the court registrar and must not travel out of the country except with the leave of the court.”
- They are also required to “deposit two passport photographs with the court registrar.”
Despite being granted bail, Adamu’s freedom is not immediate. The judge ordered that he be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre until every condition is fully perfected.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has built its case around a controversial 2023 transaction. Adamu, alongside a firm titled Ayab Agro Products and Freight Company Ltd, is accused of orchestrating a fraudulent loan scheme through Polaris Bank.
The prosecution alleges that the funds were diverted under the pretext of a government contract that never saw a single delivery. According to the charge, the funds were funneled:
“…through Emmanuel Asomugha General Enterprises, and were not supplied contrary to Section 21(a) and punishable under Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
The money laundering case is only one front in Adamu’s mounting legal battles. The commissioner, along with three other Bauchi State officials, is simultaneously grappling with a separate, even more grave criminal charge. They are accused of terrorism financing to the tune of $9.7 million, a case that is also being heard by Justice Nwite.
With the ₦4.6bn money laundering trial now adjourned to January 20, 2026, for the commencement of trial, all eyes are on the Kuje Correctional Centre to see if the embattled commissioner can meet the half-billion-naira requirements for his release.
