By: Abdullahi Inuwa
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over a staggering ₦837.4 million recovered from alleged fraud and diversion of public funds to the Katsina State Government, in what officials described as a major breakthrough in the fight against corruption.
The funds were officially presented on Monday at the EFCC Kano Zonal Directorate following investigations into two high-profile financial scandals involving state resources and tax remittances.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Kano Zonal Director of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE I) Friday S. Ebelo, said the recovery was the outcome of painstaking investigations carried out by operatives of the Commission.
According to the EFCC, the first recovery involved ₦547 million linked to the alleged diversion of nearly ₦1.3 billion in statutory tax remittances belonging to Katsina State.
Investigators revealed that the funds, sourced from international organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and ALIMA, were allegedly siphoned into a private bank account through a coordinated scheme involving six officials of the Katsina State Board of Internal Revenue Service (BOIRS) and three bank employees.
The anti-graft agency disclosed that 12 suspects were arraigned in court over the fraud. Six of them have already been convicted after pleading guilty, while the remaining suspects are currently standing trial before the Katsina State High Court.
In a separate case, the Commission recovered another ₦290.4 million traced to what investigators described as a systemic fraud uncovered through a 2021 intelligence report.
The EFCC alleged that former Sub-Treasurer Sani Lawal BK and former Deputy Sub-Treasurer Saadu Maiwada, both attached to the Office of the Accountant General of Katsina State, colluded to divert public funds into private companies through unauthorized cash withdrawals from the state’s Sub-Treasury Expenditure Account.
According to investigators, no contracts were awarded and no services were rendered to justify the massive withdrawals.
The suspects in the second case were arraigned on July 11, 2023, before Federal and State High Courts on charges bordering on money laundering and misappropriation of funds. Trials are ongoing, with witnesses already testifying before the courts.
Presenting the recovered funds, Ebelo stressed that the EFCC remains committed to safeguarding public resources and ensuring accountability among government officials entrusted with managing public finances.
“This money belongs to the people of Katsina State, and I urge the government to use it for the betterment of the citizens,” he said.
He also warned public office holders against financial misconduct, insisting that the Commission would continue to pursue all cases of corruption and abuse of office.
Receiving the recovered funds on behalf of the Katsina State Government, Dr. Kabir Abdullahi Yantumaki, Executive Director of Standard and Compliance at the Katsina State Internal Revenue Service, praised the EFCC for its professionalism and dedication.
Yantumaki assured that the recovered money would be paid into the state’s consolidated revenue account and utilized for the benefit of the people.
The recovery is being viewed as one of the most significant anti-corruption breakthroughs involving state funds in recent months and underscores renewed efforts by anti-graft agencies to track and recover stolen public resources across the country.
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