ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi
Bauchi State Coalition Against Financial Crimes and Injustice (BACAFCI) said it has written three petitions against Mohammed Abubakar, a former Governor of the state, before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), over alleged financial misappropriation, fraud and abuse of office.
In a statement made available to journalists in Bauchi on Tuesday, the chairman of the coalition group, Bibi Dogo, said the financial coalition is demanding that the two anti-graft agencies investigate the matter, hinting that it has already filed a petition concerning financial scams in the procurement of fertilizer where over N2 billion was siphoned.
“We have filed a petition before the EFCC for a suspected fraudulent payment of N5.2 billion. We have also filed another petition in the name of purchase of fake shares for the 20 local government areas of the state to the tune of N250 million. We uncovered another fraudulent payment of N1.6 million via a cheque to the ministry of finance to a company known as mauritz Walton.
“There was a report of a suspicious scam between former Governor Abubakar and Agro allied Company Limited in the name of purchase of shares for the 20 LGAs at the cost of N250 million and fake certificates was issued to the councils on 31st October, 2018,” the chairman said.
Dogo, a member of the State Asset and Recovery Committee, said that the then Ministry for Local Government Affairs signed the agreement between the company and the councils.
According to him, the State Auditor General for Local Government and the Assets Recovery Committee under the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed succeeded in recovering the sum of N246 million.
He said the committee invited the management of the company, Messrs Holyphant and agro allied Company Limited and reached an agreement that they will pay the money “but no money has been paid till date.”
Dogo alleged that the ex-Governor Abubakar directed the payment of over N5 billion for 15 per cent Paris club refunds to Mauritz Walton, but on December 21, 2016, the sum of N1.6 billion was again paid to the company without following due process .
Efforts by our correspondent to get the reaction of the former Governor through his aide, Ali M. Ali, was unsuccessful, as his phone number wasn’t reachable as at the time of filing this report.
However, a close aide to the former Governor who spoke in confidence said that all the allegations were political witchhaunt against his boss.
The aide added that the Governor has served the State with patriotism and commitment and did not committed any offence while in office stressing that the former Governor is always ready and available to answer any allegations leveled against him.
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