Taraba Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Industry, Hon. Peter George
A resident of Jalingo Local Government Area of Taraba State, Abdulmumin Iman, has accused the state Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Industry, Hon. Peter George, of allegedly diverting N850,000 meant for petty traders under the NG-CARES programme.
Iman, who is known for his outspoken stance on governance issues in the state, alleged that the commissioner transferred the funds to an associate, Zelani Bitrus, before the money was later moved into a personal account allegedly belonging to the commissioner.
According to him, the funds were credited to Zelani Bitrus’s Zenith Bank account (2267916489) on December 12, 2024, and subsequently, N800,000 was transferred on December 20, 2024, to a UBA personal account (Account Number 1013800281) allegedly belonging to Hon. George.
Zelani Bitrus, according to Iman, previously served as an official driver to the commissioner.
Providing further details, Iman stated: “Gov. Agbu Kefas appointed him as the focal person for NG-CARES, a programme meant to support petty traders, such as Tomato sellers with a grant of N50,000 each by the Federal Government.”
He added: “The Federal Government allocated 700 slots to Taraba State (N35 million) and the funds are lodged in a state account (KES account) called Taraba NG-CARES with Zenith Bank, which is managed by the Commissioner and the Permanent Secretary, with oversight from the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment.”
Iman further alleged: “Instead of sending these grants directly to the beneficiaries, Hon. Peter George diverted N850,000 from the Taraba NG-CARES account to the Zenith Bank personal account of his associate Zelani Bitrus.”
He continued: “The funds were credited to Zelani Bitrus’s Zenith Bank account (2267916489) on 12th December 2024 and on 20th December 2024, he transferred N800,000 to the UBA personal account of Hon. Peter George (Account No. 1013800281).”
Iman expressed concern that the alleged diversion deprived 17 petty traders of grants that could have improved their livelihoods.
He therefore called on Governor Agbu Kefas and concerned stakeholders in the state to take urgent action, including suspending the commissioner and launching a full investigation into the management of the NG-CARES funds.
He specifically urged authorities to probe the Taraba NG-CARES account domiciled with Zenith Bank to determine how the N35 million Federal Government grant allocated to the state was utilized.
Iman further stated: “Any transfer above N50,000 should be thoroughly investigated because payments are supposed to be strictly N50,000 each and made directly to the beneficiaries’ accounts.”
However, when contacted, the Taraba State Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Industry, Hon. Peter George, denied the allegations, stating that he had no knowledge of the transactions.
He said: “I have no knowledge about what Abdulmumin Iman is saying, I have not done such transactions and I believe who he is mentioning in the accusations is about me.”
