From Ahmad SAKA, Bauchi

Bauchi State Coalition against Financial Crimes and Injustice (BACAFCI) has asked the Independent Corrupt Practices (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the payment of N5, 028,249,914.66 bailout funds to a consultant firm on the work done by the governor’s forum.

The Chairman of BACAFCI Alhaji Bibi Dogo stated this in a statement he distributed to reporters in Bauchi Wednesday in continuation with the anti-graft agency effort to ensure justice is being done to the people of the state.

He said, “from January 2017 to September 2018 Bauchi State received N55,568,790,759.96 as Paris Club refunds and the move to recover the funds were initiated by the governor’s forum who engaged a consultant and paid him one per cent of the amount received for his services.”

Dogo who served in the recovery committee set up by the Bauchi State Governor alleged that “the former governor, Abubakar engaged another consultant and paid him N5,028,249,914.66 representing 15 per cent for doing nothing other than the work done by the governor’s forum which clearly shows that Bauchi State paid twice for one service and the transactions were carried out without a formal agreement that indicates the scope of work to be done or the fees to be paid to the consultant, and the directives to release the funds was done orally to the then State Accountant General.”

The Chairman said BACAFCI wants the anti-graft agencies to investigate alleged misappropriation of bailout public funds by former Governor Abubakar while he was governor and recover the faulty payment of over N 5, 000 000 000 (five billion naira) made to the consultant and sanction anyone involved to serve as a deterrent to others.

A recovery committee set up by the Bauchi State Government had earlier indicted the ex-governor of misappropriation of funds.

A close political associate to the former Governor said: “This is not the first time BACAFCI would claim in the media that they have petitioned Abubakar, all the allegation that the governor diverted the bailout fund is baseless and untrue”.

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