Fresh details have emerged linking Muntaka Mohammed Duguri, a nephew of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, to an ongoing Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation over an alleged ₦4.6 billion money laundering scheme involving the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu.
Duguri is listed as a co-accused in a six-count charge filed by the EFCC at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Another suspect, Ishaku Mohammed Aliyu, Managing Director of I.S. Makayye Investment Resources Ltd, is also named in the charge. Both men are reportedly at large, a situation that has stalled the arraignment of the finance commissioner.
COURT ORDERS EFCC TO PRODUCE FINANCE COMMISSIONER
On December 24, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered the EFCC to produce Yakubu Adamu in court on December 30 for arraignment over the alleged money laundering offence. The judge issued the directive after the prosecution failed to present the defendant for plea, warning that sanctions would follow any further delay.
Adamu is the first defendant in the case, while Ayab Agro Products and Freight Company Ltd is the second defendant in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/694/2025.
According to the EFCC, Adamu allegedly conspired with Duguri and Aliyu between June and December 2023 to convert, transfer, conceal, and use about ₦4.65 billion. The funds were reportedly released by Polaris Bank under the guise of financing the supply of motorcycles to the Bauchi State Government.
The charge further alleges that proceeds of the unlawful transactions were moved through nominee and third-party accounts, including I.S. Makayye Investment Resources Ltd, and that ₦165.9 million was transferred to Ayab Agro Products and Freight Company Ltd. The alleged offences contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
ALLEGATIONS OF WITNESS SUPPRESSION AND FLIGHT
Sources familiar with the investigation allege that Ishaku Mohammed Aliyu is a key witness whose testimony could significantly strengthen the EFCC’s case. He was reportedly used as a front for Duguri in the alleged laundering operation before a dispute arose over the sharing of proceeds.
Following the fallout, Aliyu is said to have voluntarily approached the EFCC and gave a detailed statement on the transactions and the roles of those involved.
The sources further allege that after learning of Aliyu’s cooperation with investigators, Governor Bala Mohammed instructed Duguri to flee Nigeria for Egypt and ordered that Aliyu be taken away and hidden to prevent him from testifying.
According to the sources, Aliyu’s disappearance has directly affected the prosecution, as the EFCC’s principal witness is currently unavailable, weakening the case and delaying the arraignment of the finance commissioner.
EFCC FACES PRESSURE AS CASE STALLS
Investigators say the absence of both Duguri and Aliyu has left the EFCC struggling to move forward with the case, describing the situation as a major setback in a prosecution involving significant public funds.
They insist that Aliyu’s testimony could expose broader links and transactions connected to the alleged scheme and have called for pressure to be mounted on the Bauchi State Government to produce the missing witness.
