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From Abel Leonard, Lafia
The Kaduna Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last week quizzed some former officials of Akwanga Local Government Council in Nasarawa State for allegedly defrauding the council of the sum of 50 million naira.
This was contained in a document made available to our correspondent on Monday, a petition against the former council boss by a contractor, Yakubu Madawa, whose company’s name was allegedly used to collect a loan from a bank.
The council officials affected were the council’s forner deputy chairman, Safiyanu Isa (Roba), the former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Zakariya Jibrin, the Clerk, Supervisory Councillor for Works and the former eleven elected councillors.
The contractor alleged that the chairman invited him to come and handle boreholes contract in the eleven electoral wards in the area and that was the contract that couldn’t see the light of the day.
According to a credible source, the contractor got angry because the loan was given via his account, but he was denied the contract, rather, he was made to transfer the money to some officials of the council.
‘It was later realised that over 30 million naira was cornered by the former council boss on the ground that he will pay the contractor, while the deputy, speaker and the eleven councillors also got their cut and that is why EFCC invited them,’ the source said.
A former councillor of Ningo/Boher Ward in Akwanga, Solomon Danjuma, confirmed that they (all the councillors), were invited to Kaduna by the EFCC for questioning, but they do not have a hand in the deal.
When contacted on phone, the former council boss, Samuel Meshi, denied being invited by the operatives of EFCC.
‘Anybody that have my letter of invitation from EFCC should bring it please. I lost my in-law in Kaduna, I was not able to go, but people are busy making noise that I was invited,’ Meshi said.
However, sources close to the EFCC said that the council officials were granted administrative bail, after some top government officials pleaded for their release.
