9JA VIBEZ HUB

By Nwafor Sunday

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has again challenged
President Muhammadu Buhari, urging him to make public his
financial transactions and spending.
The opposition party equally asked him to publish details,
including the beneficiaries, the purpose and the amount of
each payment, in line with the Presidential directive to the
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Disclosing this in a statement on Monday, Kola Ologbondiyan,
National Publicity Secretary, said that “it is not enough for
President Muhammadu Buhari to issue spending directives to
MDAs, without his Presidency, which received billions of naira
in budgetary allocation, leading by example.
“Nigerians deserve to know how much is allocated to the
Presidency, the various expenditure subheads, process of
award of contracts, the contractors, the beneficiaries,
amounts paid and payment system.
“Perhaps such would explain why certain individuals who are
close to the Presidency live in ostentatious opulence and
flaunt very expensive lifestyle in the same country where
millions of citizens wallow in abject poverty, hunger,
homelessness and disease.
“It is worrisome that the Buhari Presidency has failed to make
details of its yearly budget and expenditure public, despite
several demands for openness, which raises anxieties and
allegations of huge sleazes and corrupt concealments against
certain officials and cabal in the Presidency.
“The PDP recalls several ugly scenarios around the Presidency,
including that arrest, in October, of a suspected scammer,
Abdulrauf Illyasu, who even enjoyed an office accommodation
within the safety and cover of the Presidential villa.
“This is in addition to the arrest of a said confidant of Mr.
President, Nasir Danu, at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom,
for alleged international passport scam and money laundering
while allegedly ferrying currencies for persons said to be close
to the Presidency.
“The PDP also reminds Nigerians of the case of the former
aide to the First Lady, Mr. Baba-Inna, arrested for alleged
financial fronting as well as the confession of one Amina
Mohammed who, while being paraded by the Department of
State Services (DSS) in 2018, stated in public that persons
close to the Presidency were involved in serial fraud and
looting of public resources under the cover of the some
elements in the Presidency.
“The PDP therefore challenges the Presidency to clear these
anxieties by opening up and publishing details of its budget
and expenditure for Nigerians to see.”

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has appealed for calm
as violent protests against a new law on illegal migrants
continued for a fifth day.
Large rallies have been taking place in the capital Delhi,
Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).
Monday’s protests came a day after clashes between police
and protesters in Delhi left at least 50 injured.
Protesters are angry at a law entitling citizenship to some non-
Muslim migrants from three Muslim-majority countries.
The leader of India’s opposition Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi,
accused the government of creating an atmosphere of
religious tension for political interests.
The protests – which have left six people dead – began in the
north-eastern state of Assam last Thursday, before spreading
to other parts of northern and eastern India.
But people are divided on why they have taken to the streets.
Some critics said the law is anti-Muslim, while others –
especially in border regions – fear large-scale migration.
The law allows non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and
Afghanistan, who entered India illegally, to become citizens.
The PM attempted to calm tensions in a series of tweets as
students resumed their protests on Monday.
“No Indian has anything to worry regarding this act. This act is
only for those who have faced years of persecution outside
and have no other place to go except India,” the prime
minister wrote.
“This is the time to maintain peace, unity, and brotherhood.”
Authorities have tried to curb the protests by shutting down
internet services, so it is unclear how many people in affected
areas have seen his tweets. (BBC).

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri – Abuja

The Federal Government has alleged that over $400billion was
laundered and stashed abroad by corrupt leaders in the
country and their foreign accomplices, including multinational
companies.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice, Abubakar Malami, who made the disclosure in a
speech he presented at the eighth session of the Conference
of States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against
Corruption in the United Arab Emirate, UNCAC, decried that
illicit financial flows from the country are foreign havens.
Malami is the head of Nigeria’s delegation to the conference
that kicked off Monday.
The AGF, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on
Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Gwandu, and made
available to newsmen, noted with great concern the incidence
of illicit financial flows which he said goes through the
financial systems annually, particularly from developing to
developed economies.
“The quantum of these illicit flows which are majorly proceeds
of crime undermines local currencies, constitutes a threat to
the economy, and enhances the risk of huge amounts of
money flowing into channels such as organized crimes and
terrorism”, he was quoted to have stated.
He said the Nigerian government has taken drastic measures
to address the problem in order to ensure that financial
institutions in the country and banks, are not used as conduits
for such illicit transactions.
“To dissuade the perpetrators of this anomaly including
financial institutions who act as enablers, State Parties should
ensure that illicit financial flows, when tracked, do not remain
in the custody of enabling financial institutions, but should be
transferred into escrow account, preferably in Development
Banks pending return to countries of origin,” he added.
According to the AGF, “Bad eggs among public officials have
been compromised by multinational companies and our
resources looted and diverted through inflated contracts”.
Malami noted that with the return of democratic governance in
1999, Nigeria recorded significant progress in the fight against
corruption.
“We have enacted legal frameworks and established several
dedicated
institutions focused on preventing and combatting diverse
manifestations of corruption”.
He said the Federal Government has established numerous
policies to promote transparency and accountability so as to
prevent corruption before it occurs, using the institution of
mechanisms that ensure data–policy nexus and inter-agency
coordination.
He also identified such a policy to include the establishment
of and robust access to information regimen in the Freedom
of Information Act, thus ensuring increased transparency and
accountability.
“We have committed to the Open Government Partnership and
beneficial ownership disclosure and adopted a roadmap for
implementation. A fewdays ago we launched two significant initiatives: The Open
Treasury Initiative which establishes a financial transparency
portal to keep the public informed about financial transactions
within a specified threshold, on a daily basis, and a pilot
Beneficial Ownership register focused on the extractive
sector.”
Malami said in realization of the necessity of an effective
Criminal Justice System for investigating and sanctioning
corruption, Nigeria, embarked on the active implementation of
the Justice Sector Reform Strategy that would cover issues
such as International Cooperation Mechanisms, Mutual Legal
Assistance, and reform of the Criminal Justice System.
“Proceeds of corruption and illicit financial flows constitute a
huge chunk of resources needed for sustainable development
but are regularly diverted from victim States,” he added.
Consequently, Malami called for simplification of evidentiary
requirements and other mutual legal assistance procedures as
appropriate to enhance international cooperation under the
Convention.
He said Nigeria believes that the Conference of States Parties
has a vital role to play in identifying the most effective means
of overcoming existing legal obstacles to asset recovery.

Sunday Aborisade, Abuja
The President of the Senate , Ahmad Lawan , has
congratulated Nigeria ’ s President , Major
General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ), on the
occasion of his 77 th birthday .
Lawan , in a statement he signed , thanked God
for Buhari ’ s good health and exemplary life .
He said , “ Mr . President , your consistency in
personal and public matters , your commitment
to the cause of the downtrodden masses and
the purposeful leadership that you have
provided for our country in the last four years ,
are a permanent source of inspiration and have
already secured your prominence in the history
of Nigeria.
“ Your personal integrity and commitment to
people - oriented policies and programmes have
endeared you to millions of your compatriots
who amply demonstrated their appreciation by
enthusiastically renewing your mandate at the
polls at the 2019 general elections.
“ May Allah continue to guide and support you
in your patriotic mission to make Nigeria a
better place for all its citizens and residents . ”
In a related development , the Minister of State
for Federal Capital Territory , Dr . Ramatu Aliyu ,
has also felicitated the retired general as he
clocked 77 years of age.
The News Agency of Nigeria quoted the minister in
a statement in Abuja on Monday, describing
Buhari as “ a mentor , role model and
inspirational leader worthy of emulation . ”
“ Buhari is a man who has a great sense of
humour, and a man who genuinely loves the
Nigerian people , ” she said .
The minister noted that Buhari had contributed
immensely to the development of Nigeria ,
“ having served in different capacities , and
given his best whenever he was called upon to
serve . ”
Aliyu prayed that Allah would continue to
envelope him with abundant grace as he pilots
affairs of the nation .

E - cigarette use significantly increases the risk
of developing chronic lung diseases like
asthma , bronchitis , emphysema and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a
long term study published Monday that also
found vaping was less harmful than smoking.
The results of the research , published in the
American Journal of Preventive Medicine , are
unrelated to the recent outbreak of an acute
lung disease that has killed more than 50
people and has been linked to a substance
commonly added to vaping products containing
THC , the psychoactive component of cannabis .
Scientists at UC San Francisco examined
publicly available data that tracked e - cigarette
and tobacco habits as well as new lung disease
diagnoses in over 32 , 000 American adults from
2013 to 2016 .

They found that current and former e - cigarette
users were 1 . 3 times more likely to develop
chronic lung disease, while tobacco smokers
increased their risk by a factor of 2 . 6 .
For people who both smoked and vaped , the
risks of developing lung disease more than
tripled.
“ What we found is that for e - cigarette users ,
the odds of developing lung disease increased
by about a third , even after controlling for their
tobacco use and their clinical and demographic
information , ” said senior author Stanton
Glantz , a UCSF professor of medicine .
“ We concluded that e - cigarettes are harmful on
their own , and the effects are independent of
smoking conventional tobacco , ” he added .
The paper did not offer a new biological
explanation for how vaping causes such harm ,
but cited earlier physiological studies in both
animals and humans that have found that e -
cigarettes suppress the immune system and
increase the levels of stress- related proteins in
the lung.

– Dual users –
There have been several earlier population
studies that found an association between e -
cigarette use and lung disease at a single point
in time , but it was impossible to determine
whether the illnesses were caused by e -
cigarettes or if people with lung disease were
more likely to vape .
The authors of the new study wrote that by
starting with people who had no prior history
of lung disease and then taking account of their
use of e - cigarettes and smoking , they could
identify a stronger causal link.
Vaping advocates contend that e - cigarettes offer
people addicted to smoking a less harmful
alternative, but according to Gantz , most of the
participants in the nationally representative
sample both smoked and vaped .

“ Switching from conventional cigarettes to e -
cigarettes exclusively could reduce the risk of
lung disease, but very few people do it , ” he
said . “ For most smokers , they simply add e -
cigarettes and become dual users , significantly
increasing their risk of developing lung disease
above just smoking . ”

Oluwatosin Omojuyigbe:

The son of Oba Adeyinka Oyekan , Adewale
Oyekan , has been sentenced to death by the
Lagos State High Court in Ikeja for killing a 62 -
year - old businesswoman and member of the
Peoples Democratic Party , Sikirat Ekun.
Oyekan was sentenced alongside a domestic
help , Lateef Balogun , on Monday by Justice
Raliat Adebiyi for strangling Ekun and throwing
her body into a well .
Oyekan committed the offences around 1 am on
October 1, 2012 , at the deceased ’ s home at No
5 , Babatunde Lalega Street , Omole Phase - 1 .
Online PUNCH learnt that the deceased , who
owned a restaurant , had employed Oyekan as
manager , while Balogun was a domestic help
for Ekun .

However , Balogun ’ s job was terminated
following a dispute between Ekun and him ,
which led to a conspiracy between the convicts .
It was gathered that the convicts killed the
deceased , threw her body into a well within
her premises and took over her business and
properties , including her bus, which they sold
for N170 , 000.
The prosecutor , Akin George , had told the court
that when an inquiry was made by family and
friends about Ekun’ s whereabouts , Oyekan
informed the family members through a text
message from Ekun’ s phone that she had
travelled to Abuja for the Eid - el - Kabir festival .
He noted that after an intensive search , her
corpse was found two months later in
December 2012 by well diggers and firefighters ,
adding that the convicts had dumped a
generator , a gas cylinder and other household
items over the corpse to conceal it in the 1 , 000
feet well .
Delivering her judgement on Monday, Justice
Adebiyi , in a two- hour judgement , noted that
the prosecution had proved the charges of
conspiracy to commit murder and murder
beyond a reasonable doubt .

She said , “ The circumstantial evidence was
strong and cogent, the act of the defendants in
killing the deceased was intentional and
premeditated .
“ The court finds that the prosecution has
proved beyond reasonable doubt the offence of
conspiracy and murder and are accordingly
found guilty of the two counts .

A Romanian court on Monday handed jail terms
to 13 people over a 2015 nightclub fire that
killed 64 and brought down the prime minister
after protests over corruption .
The court also ordered payment of around 50
million euros ( $ 56 million) in compensation to
the survivors and the families of the victims .
The Bucharest nightclub was packed with some
400 revellers — many of them youngsters — at
a rock concert when fireworks were let off ,
triggering a blaze and stampede .
The club did not have any emergency exits.
Investigations pointed to numerous breaches of
safety regulations at the club , which critics saw
as emblematic of the corruption and lax
standards holding back one of the European
Union ’ s poorest nations.
The fireworks organiser was sentenced to 12
years and eight months in prison for
involuntary manslaughter as her company
didn ’ t have the required permits .
The nightclub’ s three owners got 11 years and
eight months in prison for involuntary
manslaughter .
Two technicians who set up the fireworks , two
fire safety inspectors and a Bucharest district
mayor who cleared the club to operate despite
the safety issues received jail of up to 10 years.
Another four people involved got shorter jail
terms .
All those convicted will remain free pending
their appeal.
The mass anti - government protests sparked by
the tragedy led to the resignation of Social
Democratic prime minister Victor Ponta .
Although 26 died at the site , and nearly 200
were injured , another 38 died later, casting a
negative spotlight on Romania ’ s emergency
services and health system .
A former health minister stands accused of
having delayed and even blocked , the transfer
of burns victims abroad . They subsequently
died in ill- equipped Romanian hospitals . An
enquiry into that is still ongoing.

An EFCC operative , Mohammed Goji , on
Monday revealed how Faisal Maina , son of
Abdulrasheed Maina , former Pension Reform
Task Team boss , withdrew N58 m from a United
Bank for Africa account .
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Goji , who
is a Principal Detective Superintendent with the
anti - graft agency, is also the second
prosecution witness (PW2 ) in the ongoing trial
of Faisal .
Goji , a member of the EFCC team that
investigated alleged fraud by Maina , made the
revelation while giving evidence before Justice
Okon Abang of the Federal High Court , Abuja .
He told the court that the total amount
withdrawn by Faisal from the UBA account
with account name : Alhaji Abdullahi Faisal
Farm II ; number: 1018636805 , was
N58 , 101, 585. 02 k .
“ From Exhibit B , there were a number of
withdrawals by the defendant (Faisal ) .
“ The sum of N700, 000 was withdrawn on 18 th
June 2019 ; N300 , 000 was withdrawn on 9 th
July , 2019 ; and again , N150, 000 was also
withdrawn.
“ From Exhibit B , the total withdrawals [from
account bearing ] Alhaji Abdullahi Faisal Farms
II is N58 , 101, 585. 02 k , ” Goji said .
He told the court that the defendant was a co -
signatory to Alhaji Faisal Abdullahi Farm ’ s
bank account .
“ Exhibit A 2 has the defendant’ s driver license ,
and Exhibit A 6 has his name and signature , ” he
added .
He said though Alhaji Abdullahi Faisal Farm is
a registered business name, “ the proprietor is
Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina and not the
defendant .
“ The C . A . C . registration of the business name of
Exhibit A 9 and A 10 has Abdulrasheed
Abdullahi as the proprietor . ”
The witness also listed some companies in
which Faisal was said to be a shareholder .

The Attorney - General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice , Mr. Abubakar Malami , on
Monday, indicated that he could not ask the
Department of State Service to release Omoyele
Sowore from custody .
The minister said in the statement that he could
not take a unilateral decision on the release of
Sowore without recourse to the court, where
the ‘ RevolutionNow ’ protests convener and his
co - defendant , Olawale Bakare, are being
prosecuted on charges of treasonable felony,
among others .
This is contained in a statement by his Special
Assistant on Media and Public Relations , Dr .
Umar Gwandu , who stated that Malami was
reacting to “ the claim that a lawyer sent a
letter to the AGF requesting the release of Mr .
Sowore ” .
The statement appeared to be a veiled reference
to the letter by Sowore ’ s lawyer , Mr . Femi
Falana ( SAN) , sent to the AGF on Friday to
demand the release of the convener of
‘ RevolutionNow ’ protests from the custody of
the DSS.
Falana’ s letter dated December 13 , 2019 ,
reported by The PUNCH on Monday followed the
Friday’ s announcement by the AGF office that
it had taken over the prosecution of the Sahara
Reporters’ publisher and Bakare from the DSS .
The AGF ’ s takeover of the case was informed
by the widely condemned invasion of the
Federal High Court in Abuja by the operatives
of the DSS to rearrest Sowore on December 6.
Falana who heads the defence team of the two
men informed Malami that Sowore had , since
his rearrest on December 6 , been kept in the
DSS custody without the backing of any
detention order of court or arrest warrant .
He stated that his letter became necessary after
two lawyers in the team visited the DSS
headquarters in Abuja to demand Sowore ’ s
release but were advised to direct their request
to Malami .
In a terse statement making a veiled reference
to Falana’ s letter on Monday, Malami said in
the statement issued by Gwandu, “ When
parties submit their issues for determination to
a court of law , they lack exclusivity of decision
over such issues without recourse to the court. ”
“ We remain guided by the established tradition
and will not take unilateral decision without
recourse to the rule of law , ” he added .


The same court, the Federal High Court in
Abuja , where Sowore and Bakare were charged ,
has granted bail to the two of them.
But the order for the release of Sowore was
snubbed by the secret police organisation
whose operatives ’ violently re - arrested him
barely 24 hours of releasing him from detention
that lasted over four months .
The two men were arrested over their call for
‘ RevolutionNow ’ protests with the DSS accusing
them of attempting to overthrow the regime of
the President , Major General Muhammadu
Buhari

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) University of
Benin chapter has reiterated its unequivocal rejection of
Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS)
and vowed that no amount of threat or blackmail will sway its
resolve.
It made the vow in support of the decision taken at the end of
the National Executive Council(NEC) meeting held a few days
earlier.
In a statement signed by M. J. Omoregie(chairperson) and F.
C. Amaechina (Secretary) the UNIBEN ASUU stated that it was
appalled “by the continuing charade of the office Accountant-
General of the Federation(OAGF) aimed at forcibly
implementing the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information
System(IPPIS) in Nigeria federal universities.
“We have equally come to the conclusion that it is the federal
government’s ploy to renege on its agreement with our union
in furtherance of its intent on abdicating its duty and
responsibility to adequately fund education in Nigeria.
“In particular, we note that the government is scheming to
abandon the long-overdue renegotiation of the ASUU-FGN
2009 Agreement and also avoid fully honouring the February
2019 Memorandum of Action(MoA) it freely signed with ASUU.
“And, for the umpteenth time, we restate our unequivocal
rejection of IPPIS and vow that no amount of threat or
blackmail will sway our resolve.”
Based on this ASUU resolved that its position that members
should not enroll in IPPIS stands and is reaffirmed by the
Congress.
Also, it unanimously aligned itself with the NEC declaration to
call out its members on a nationwide strike if any member of
the union is victimised for refusal to enroll in the IPPIS
platform in the spirit of ‘an injury to one is an injury to all.’
Going further, the union said it identifies with the decision of
ASUU NEC to engage the federal government on the
outstanding issues of the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement
and the February 2019 MoA and has resolved to comply fully if
ASUU is compelled to declare a nationwide strike should the
federal government renege on the full implementation of any
aspect of both the agreement and the MoA.
The union called on all and sundry to join forces with ASUU “to
salvage this nation from the stranglehold of this regime of
insensitive leadership.”

Akwa Ibom State government on Monday delisted child
defilement and rape among bailable offences in the state,
insisting that the perpetrators must be prosecuted.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Women Affairs,
Dr. Glory Edet, disclosed this at a one- day training
workshop on Gender-Based Violence Mitigation for the
Police and relevant Non-Governmental Organizations.
She said: “Anybody that rapes a child, there is nothing like
bail for that person and there is no sentiment about it no
matter who is involved, be it a father raping his own child
and so on. We must make sure that we work together to
prosecute that person.”
Edet said the government through her ministry has within
the year attended to over 452 cases of gender-based
violence, adding that 18 culprits had been prosecuted with
16 sentenced to different jail terms.
She said the workshop was a wake- up call for the police
and other relevant non- governmental organizations to live
up to their responsibilities in curbing gender-based violence
in the state.
The commissioner thanked Governor Udom Emmanuel for
providing an enabling environment for gender-based
violence cases to be followed up and for maintaining family
courts where such cases are handled.
In his keynote address, the state Commissioner of Police,
Imohimi Edgar, noted that gender-based violence topped
the criminal record in the state.
He said: “I can recall that immediately I assumed office as
the state Commissioner of Police, I called my field officers
to brief me of prevalent crimes in the state and one issue
that had very high statistics rate of prevalence was that of
gender-based violence, particularly issues such as rape,
defilement, and incest among others.”

Picture 1: Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (l)
and Senator Magnus Abe during the Solidarity Visit by Ogoni
Ethnic Nationality at the Government House Port Harcourt
on Monday.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared
that he has not promised any ethnic nationality, the position
of governor.
He said that only God has the capacity to make any ethnic
nationality Governor of Rivers State.
He spoke on Monday during a Solidarity Visit by the Ogoni
Ethnic Nationality at the Government House Port Harcourt.
“Let nobody say that I have met with Ogoni Ethnic
Nationality and I promised them Governor. I didn’t promise
because I cannot give.
“It is only God that will give the position of Governor. With
proper arrangement, things can be done. Don’t say I made a
promise, don’t rely on anyone, just work hard. As Nyesom
Wike, I can only support, but cannot make anyone Governor
“, he said.
He urged Rivers people to take him as an example where a
leader declared that over his dead body would he emerge
Rivers State Governor.
“Take me as an example. Someone sat here and said over
his dead body would I be Governor. Am I not Governor
today? I am heading towards eight years.
“Nobody should threaten you that you cannot be Governor.
Don’t take the position of God. Don’t allow anyone to take
the glory of God”, Governor Wike said.
Speaking further, Governor Wike stated that Senator Magnus
Abe would have become the Governor of the state if he
listened to his advice and left the then government of
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi with him.
He noted that with the elections over, it is time for
governance. He thanked the people of Ogoni Ethnic
Nationality for supporting him to win the election.
He urged the people of Ogoni Ethnic Nationality to be united
and work together in order to achieve set goals, as well as
build bridges across various ethnic nationalities to succeed
politically.
The Governor advised Ogoni people with the intention to run
for governorship election in the state to be fully prepared to
struggle for the position.
He noted that no administration in the state has given
Ogoni people the number of appointments his
administration has given them.
“No administration in this state has given Ogoni people
more appointments than me”, he said
Governor Wike used the forum to intimate the people of
Ogoni Ethnic Nationality on the State Government’s decision
to acquire Shell’s share in OML 11.
He regretted the negative propaganda by some people in
the area. He advised them not to allow criminals to speak
on their behalf.
He said: “We have allowed criminals to speak for us. Some
leaders use criminals to speak on their behalf. The next
thing you hear, I am an ex-agitator. What are you agitating?
You collect money everywhere and become ex-agitator.
“We sit back and sponsor criminals to talk on behalf of
Ogoni Ethnic Nationality. How many of you have come out
to say what that boy is saying is not correct.”
Speaking during the Solidarity Visit, Gbenemene Tai and
Chairman, Supreme Council of Ogoni Council of Traditional
Rulers, King G.N.K. Giniwa lauded the governor for his
support to the Ogonis. He pledged their unalloyed and
unflinching support to the administration.
Presenting the address of the people of Ogoni Ethnic
Nationality, Senator Bennett Birabi thanked Governor Wike
for the numerous infrastructure put in place in Ogoni land.
He also commended Governor Wike for the restoration of
peace in the state and Ogoniland.
He also lauded the governor for the acquisition of OML 11
for the benefit of the state and Ogoni people.

The Sokoto Zonal Office of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),on
Monday handed over 53 tricycles which were
recovered from a fraudulent contractor to
Zamfara Government.
Mr Abdullahi Lawal, EFCC Zonal Head in
charge of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara, handed
over the tricycles to the Secretary to the
Zamfara State Government, Alhaji Bala Bello-
Maru, on Monday in Sokoto.
“We are here to present 53 tricycles to
Zamfara state government after painstaking
and deligent investigation that led to the
recovery from a contractor.

Lawal said the commission’s zonal office
which began operation in February was
investigating 60 cases in the state involving
N200 billion.
The zonal head said the cases were against
individuals, private and public institutions as
well as government agencies.
He said between February and now, the
commission had received about 200 petitions
fron governments, private organisations and
individuals.
Lawal revealed that some bank accounts
connected with the fraudulent activities being
investigated had been frozen.
”The commission is investigating activities of
the last administration and has assured the
people of Zamfara state that it will not relent
on its effort to prosecute anyone found
culpable,” Lawal said.
The zonal head explained that some
contractors who had abandoned projects after
receiving billions of Naira from their clients,
had mobilised back to sites, following the
investigations.
Lawal appealed to contractors who collected
payments and had yet to commence, complete
or hand over such projects, to mobilise back to
site in thier own interest.
He added that the commission would embark
on project monitoring and evaluation, in
collaboration with experts and relevant
agencies.
The zonal head enjoined members of the
public to cooperate with EFCC by volunteering
vital information on corrupt practices and
public officers living above thier means.
Lawal stressed that the federal government’s
whistle blowing policy was still effective.
He urged the people to take advantage of it to
rid the country of all forms of corruption which
had hindered the country’s progress.
The secretary to Zamfara government
commended EFCC for its efforts and said the
present administration in the state received
petitions on abandoned projects and other
fraudulent activities involving billions of Naira.
Bello-Maru said that following the EFCC
investigations, many contractors had
mobilised back to sites to complete the
projects awarded to them.