Bauchi Governor Accused of Land Grabs and Financial Mismanagement
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tugga, has accused Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed of unlawfully seizing land from small-scale farmers and urban residents under the guise of commercial farming and redevelopment projects.
Tugga made these claims during an interview with Liberty TV, responding to Governor Mohammed’s verbal attacks on the President Bola Tinubu-led administration. The Minister alleged that while the governor’s financial allocations have significantly increased, there has been no visible improvement in the state’s infrastructure or social services.
According to Tugga, in October 2024, Governor Mohammed received an N8.8 billion allocation from the Federal Government, followed by another N9 billion in November. However, Tugga criticized the governor for failing to demonstrate how these funds were utilized for essential public services like education, healthcare, or tackling the issue of out-of-school children. Instead, he accused the governor of using the funds to purchase properties and land from Bauchi’s poor residents.
Tugga further alleged that the governor’s actions, including evicting people from their homes in the Government Reserved Areas (GRA) for supposed redevelopment, were part of a strategy to funnel state funds for personal gain. He accused Governor Mohammed of using these practices to enrich himself rather than addressing the needs of the people.
