By Saminu Ibrahim
The Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development (PAPS) has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest, investigate and prosecute former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulazeez Yari.
The group said the call followed alleged misappropriation and misapplication of over N900billion belonging to the state during the eight years he held sway as the Zamfara State Governor.
In a petition addressed to the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Intelligence Financial Unit (NFIU) the group vowed to go to court to obtain an order of mandamus, compelling the anti-graft agencies to investigate the former Governor in line with the laws setting them up.
The group stated that in the fight against corruption there should be no sacred cow, selective justice and favoritism, adding that Yari being a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and close confidant Of President Muhammadu Buhari should not be shielded from investigation and prosecution for alleged looting of Zamfara State.
“It is on record that other former Governors like Joshua Dariye, Jolly Nyame and just recently Orji Uzor Kalu and other former Governors from the opposition parties are currently being investigated or tried for corruption”.
The petition dated June 30th, 2020, sent to the EFCC, ICPC and NFIU and signed by PAPS Chairman Alhaji Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi, stated that the immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, Yari allegedly superintended over the most atrocious and highest degree of primitive looting of the state treasury since the creation of Zamfara State in 1996, stressing that the interim report of the State’s project verification committee, transition committee report, local government project committee report has made significant disclosures to this effect.
According to the group “During the year 2015 to date the Zamfara State government has received the sum of N56,024,477,670.01 as intervention funds namely, salaries bailout, Excess Crude Account, Commercial Bank Restructured Loans from Debt Management Office (DMO) ABUJA and Budget Support facility all from the Federal Government for the following purposes;
#Salaries Bailout: This bailout was given by the federal government through Skye Bank to the tune of N10.020,952,964.51 to Zamfara State government, at 9% for a tenor of 20years for the payment of salary arrears to the state and local government workers.
#Conversion of commercial bank loan to FGN bond: this facility was facilitated by the DMO Abuja in converting the state and local government bank loans outstanding as at that time to the tune of N18,434,524,705.50 to the federal government bond which will ease the state to have a lower repayment of the loan or a longer period of time. The tenor of the loan is 19 years at 14.8%.
Shinkafi further alleged that “the state government under Yari received N10Billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) for infrastructural projects across the state at 9% per annum with 20 years tenor and the ECA was issued as collateral. The state government received N17,569,000,000.00 at 9% with one year moratorium and for a ten year tenor through the CBN and N48,224,609,042.91 as Paris Fund refund.
“The state also received N37billion as refunds for federal roads from the Federal Ministry Of Works on the eve of the expiration of the tenure of the Yari administration and the funds cannot be traced by the present administration.
He alleged that “the N600billion received from the Federal Account Allocation Committee from May 29th 2011 to May 29th 2019 were all misappropriated without proper documentation, accountability, over invoicing and siphoning of the said funds. The Yari Admin’s left over N57,996,730,718.30 as loans from Commercial Banks.
“1019 undocumented vehicles were purchased at the cost of N5,544,358,300.14 between 2011 and 2019 through the office of the Secretary to the Government which cannot be accounted for. Over invoicing and inflation of contract sum for the Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital to the tune of N793,331,076.65. Over invoicing of Borehole contracts under the SDGs to the tune of N63,798,050.00, N7,003,647,960.00 was misappropriated through the school feeding while N1,688,125,000.00 was the sum of inflated cost for the purchase of Golf Cars, tricycles and bicycles by the Zamfara Agency for Poverty Alleviation (ZAPA)” he added.
Continuing, Shinkafi alleged that “there was an inflation of the contract for the rehabilitation of the General Hospital Gusau to the time of N129,492,053.09, inflation of the contract for the rehabilitation of Federal, State and local government roads to the tune of N60,575,231,468.97. He also diverted the sum of N10Billion obtained from the CBN under the guise of purchase of agro-chemicals and agricultural Commodities for boosting of agricultural production in Zamfara State”
“In February 2019, during the heat of the general elections and APC’s Zamfara primary election crisis, the sum of N5billion each was paid into the accounts of two companies Danbazau Global Investment Ltd and Babura Global Concept Ltd. There is also the fraudulent payment of N253,886,027.11 to Al-Shauib Consultant owned by a close associate of Yari as Tax Consultancy Services, the said Al-Shauib lacks competence and is ineligible to render tax consultancy services under the Zamfara State Law No.14 Of 2016. Contract was also awarded to Shenzhen and Minerals Ltd to the tune of N261,121,280.00 for the exploration of solid minerals since 2012 and 2014 and by 2019 the projects are yet to commence” he added.
The PAPs Chairman also alleged that “there is also the issue of the fraudulent payment of N150,000,000.00 to Flamingo Resources as Consultancy services to negotiate a loan from the Federal Mortgage Bank for Daza Housing Project, Flamingo Resources is a company in which Alhaji Murktah Shehu Idris (Yari’s Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development and APC Governorship Candidate in the 2019 general elections is alleged to have vested interest.
“Yari and his cronies shared among themselves the sum of N1,995,000,000.00 being part of the N2billion loan from the Federal Government to Small and Medium Enterprises In 2014” he concluded.
But reacting to the petition, former governor Abdulazeez Yari, said he will not join issues with Shinkafi.
Yari, who spoke through a political associate, a former Attorney-General of Zamfara state, Honourable Sani Takori said “We will not join issues with Shinkafi.
“He accused Bello Matawalle of having a forged certificate and took him to Court, somebody with good conscience will not be in association with the person he previously accused of criminal charges” Yari said.
