Impeached former governor of Adamawa state, Murtala Nyako has been
declared wanted by Nigeria’s apex anti- graft agency, the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC].Nyako and his son, Abdul Aziz Murtala
Nyako, a retired Naval officer was also declared wanted by the crime
fighting agency.Charges against them, include criminal conspiracy,
stealing, abuse of office and money laundering.The agency said that
under Nyako’s administration, top officials were looting massive lumps
of money.These alleged officials include, then Secretary to the State
Government, the then State Commissioner for Finance, the then
Commissioner for Higher Education, the then Accountant General of the
State and the then Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Local
Government.EFCC source told Premium Times: “In the course of
investigation, a critical analysis of the Joint State/Local Government
account reveals massive cash withdrawals”.The
official said that the then Permanent Secretary of Local Governments
made withdrawals of over N2 billion in 181 different transactions,
scattered in tranches of N3 million, N4 million, N8 million and N9
million per transaction from the State/Local Government account
domiciled with First Bank between 29th of August 2011 and 2012.He said
that another withdrawal accounting up to over N500 million between March
6, 2008, and March 4, 2011, from another Joint account domiciled in
Keystone Bank.“Other officials of the ministry who allegedly looted the
Joint Account include Justina Jari, a Principal Accountant with the
ministry who made cash withdrawals to the tune of N600 million from the
Joint Account between October, 2009 and February, 2011.“Another staff of
the ministry, Abdulhakeem Mohammed was also alleged to have withdrawn
about N3 billion from the account between February 2007 and May 2011.
Two other staff, Mercy Wanje and Jumai Salihu were also said to have
made withdrawals of N1 billion and N160 million from the account
respectively,” the source said.“On a single day, another staff called
Haruna Hamali, a principal store officer made a cash withdrawal of over
N70 million from the same account,” he said.“The withdrawals were made
and the money returned to top officials of the state government as
narrated and confirmed by the officials who made the withdrawals.“The
state officials were arrested in connection with the withdrawals and
other ongoing investigations,” the source said at the time.The EFCC had
earlier last year in June 2014 frozen Adamawa’s account after Nyako was
impeached in what the agency called a precautionary measure to safeguard
the state treasury amidst evidence of looting uncovered by its
operatives.
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