EFCC Reveals How Ex-AGF Others Stole N84.7bn Of $2.2bn Meant For 9 Oil-Producing States

• EFCC Reveals How Ex-AGF Others Stole N84.7bn Of $2.2bn Meant For 9 Oil-Producing States

• The anti-graft agency told the court that the former AGF and his co-defendants, who are facing trial for allegedly diverting public funds to the tune of about N109.4 billion

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, narrated before an Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama, how the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation, AGF, Ahmed Idris, and two others pilfered about N84.7billion of $2.2 billion meant for nine oil producing states.

The anti-graft agency told the court that the former AGF and his co-defendants— Godfrey Olusegun Akindele and Mohammed Kudu Usman — who are facing trial for allegedly diverting public funds to the tune of about N109.4 billion, perfected the fraud, using the account of a company, Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited, which is the 3rd defendant in the matter.

Testifying as the first prosecution witness, PW-1, an investigative officer at the EFCC, Mr. Hayatudeen Ahmed, said whereas the 2nd defendant, Akindele, was a staff in the office of the AGF, the 3rd defendant, Usman, was the Director of federation account in the same office.

He said the ex-AGF was arrested following the outcome of an investigation into a petition lodged against him by the Federal Treasury Concerned Staff Association.

The witness said the investigation revealed that the defendants had after the Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, approved $2.2 billion for the nine oil producing states, surreptitiously diverted N84.7 billion out of it under the guise that it was for the settlement of consultants.

He told the court that a company that was floated by the 2nd defendant, Akindele, who was a technical assistant to the former AGF, was approved as the sole consultant for the deal.

According to him, subsequently, the defendants, sequentially withdrew funds from the Escrow account of FAAC and shared among themselves and other persons that included a former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari and a former deputy governor of Abia State, Chuks Akomas.

He told the court that his team of investigators uncovered that the former AGF used his own share of the loot to purchase property like the Gezawa Commodity and Exchange Market Ltd, Gezawa Integrated Farms Ltd and Kano City Mall, some of which he said were acquired in the name of his family members.

Led in evidence by EFCC lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the PW-1 said his team had in the course of the investigation, interrogated several persons, including a Kano-based Bureau de-Change, BDC, operator, Beta Kurah, who he said admitted that he received over N1.3 billion from the former AGF, all in cash and in US dollars.

He said the BDC operator equally revealed that he made several payments, including N208 million into the account of Gezawa Commodity and Exchange Market Ltd, in Jaiz Bank.

He said: “He further admitted that he paid the sum of N866 million and another amount of N507 million to one Mustapha Muktar of Marcs and Construction Ltd, for the construction of Gezawa Commodity and Exchange Market Ltd and Kano City Mall.

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“Based on his statement, we invited Muktar, who stated that all the monies received from Beta, through his account, was on the instruction of the 1st defendant,”

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