Some key officials of the Kwara State Government are currently in the Economic and Financial Crime Commission net following the roles they allegedly played in the alleged withdrawal of N1bn a week before the February 23 election.
Those arrested are the Commissioner for Finance, Nurudeen Banu; Accountant General, Sulaiman Ishola; Commissioner for Water Resources, Yusuf Abdulkadir; Head of Service, Susan Oluwole; Special Adviser, Commissioner for Energy, Eleja Taiwo Banu; Chief of Staff, Abdulwahab Yusuf; officials of the Secretary to the State Government, and those of the Government House.
According to the EFCC, all of them have been questioned.
“Ilorin zonal office, on Thursday, March 7, 2019 uncovered about N1bn cash withdrawal by the Kwara State Government, a week before the last presidential and National Assembly elections,” the EFCC said.
“Those arrested and currently being interrogated in respect of the suspicious withdrawal include: Commissioner for Finance, Nurudeen Banu; Accountant General, Sulaiman Ishola; Commissioner for Water Resources, Yusuf Abdulkadir; Head of Service, Susan Modupe Oluwole; Special Adviser, Commissioner for Energy, Eleja Taiwo Banu; Chief of Staff, Abdulwahab Yusuf; officials of the Secretary to the State Government, and those of the Government House.
“Investigations by EFCC operatives revealed that the said money was withdrawn from the state’s account domiciled with Sterling Bank.”
An official of the State Government, Hafees Yusuf, is also quoted to have explained, “My Controller of Finance told me that the sum of N350m was paid into the account of Kwara State Government, and I was instructed by my boss to raise cheques of various sums of monies, which I did and were duly signed by the Controller of Finance. I withdrew the monies as I was instructed by my supervisor.
“An employee of Sterling Bank, who is currently being interrogated by EFCC operatives, revealed that the Accountant General, Commissioner for Finance and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, are signatories to the account where N720m cash was withdrawn from the Kwara State Government Account domiciled in the branch of the bank located at Post Office in Ilorin, between February 7 and 11, 2019.”
“Three Relationship Managers of the bank – Rahaman Alimi, Akinleye Ademola and Olarewaju Sarafa, were said to be the ones who packed the said money in bullion vans and personally delivered it to the Chief of Staff to the Kwara State Governor, Abdulwahab Yusuf.
“The bank officials further told operatives that they acted on the instruction of their ‘boss’ which was identified as, Rasaq Abolarin.
“Meanwhile, the officials of the Kwara State Government have been granted administrative bail, even as investigations continue. They are expected to be arraigned before a Federal High Court in Ilorin next week.”
