Bauchi Govt condemns abuse of Anti corruption institutions
By Umar Mohd
The Bauchi State Government has observed with deep concern the recent actions of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) relating to the arrest, detention, and prosecution of the Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development of Bauchi State
and senior officials of the State Civil Service.
Gov Bala Mohammed
The Government equally expressed concern over it described as the disturbing attempt to drag the Governor of Bauchi State into a criminal narrative through insinuation and mischievous use of his name serially on the charge sheet.
The Government in a statement issued by the Adviser Media, Muhktar Gidado, states clearly and unequivocally that the affected officials committed no offence beyond the lawful discharge of their constitutional and statutory responsibilities as they acted strictly within established financial regulations and approvals validly issued by the
appropriate authorities of government.
He explained that to criminalise routine
governance functions is to criminalise government itself and to endanger public administration across the federation, saying particular concern is the belated introduction of allegations relating to financing terrorism and money laundering allegations that were conspicuously absent at the time of arrest and detention and which only surfaced after judicial scrutiny raised serious concerns about due process.
” No terrorist organisation has been
identified, no terrorist act has been linked, and no credible evidence has been disclosed to justify such grave accusations. The timing and manner of these allegations raise legitimate fears that they were introduced as an afterthought, intended to intimidate, scandalise, and damage reputations rather than to advance justice.” He said
The Bauchi State Government also rejects in the strongest terms the false claim that the Accountant-General of the State was “at large.the Accountant-General honoured the EFCC’s invitation, was detained for several days, and was released on bail after meeting all conditions. At no point did he evade investigation. Such misrepresentation is reckless and undermines public confidence in the integrity of the criminal justice process.
The statement added that although the Governor of Bauchi State is not an accused person in any of the proceedings, yet his name has been repeatedly and gratuitously mentioned in ways that amount to attempt to conduct a trial in the court of public opinion, saying the mischievous and serial use of the name of the Governor in the charge sheet is a deliberate attempt to indict him in clear violation of his constitutional immunity.
The addition of a bogus allegation of “terrorism financing ” to the charge without just cause is nothing but a hatchet job targeted at politically
destroying the image of the Governor in the public domain which is unacceptable.
The Bauchi Government stated that the Governor’s record of public service is well known and unimpeachable as he rose through the civil service to the rank of Director, served the nation as a Senator of the Federal Republic, was a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory for five years, and has twice been democratically elected as Governor of Bauchi State, throughout his career, he has demonstrated discipline, transparency, inclusiveness, and a commitment to peaceful governance as he has never abused constitutional immunity and has never been convicted of any criminal offence.
The statement added that no amount of political persecution or manufactured controversy will diminish the respect and confidence the Governor enjoys among the people of Bauchi State and across Nigeria.
It says the Bauchi State Government is also deeply troubled by the growing atmosphere of fear and tension created by the overt and covert conduct surrounding this matter. Any action-direct or indirect-that threatens the safety and wellbeing of the Governor, members of his staff, or their families is unacceptable and must be condemned by all who value democracy and the rule of law.
“This is a season of political contestation, but political differences must never be resolved through intimidation or the misuse of state institutions. Nigeria’s democracy can only thrive where opposition is respected, dissent is tolerated, and the rule of law is upheld without fear or favour.” It added
Bauchi State Government therefore calls on the appropriate federal authorities, particularly the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, to urgently review and restrain the conduct of the EFCC to ensure strict compliance with constitutional safeguards and
prosecutorial ethics. In line with the demands of constitutional immunity, the Governor’s name should be immediately expunged from the charge sheet. The noble institutions of the EFCC and the Judiciary must not be reduced to instruments of partisan conflict. #
