Bauchi—The Bauchi State Government has said that the past administration of Isa Yuguda received and squandered N91 billion security vote in eight years.
Gov. Yuguda
The revelation is coming on the heels of promise by the state governor, Mohammed Abubakar, that the days of lack of accountability and financial recklessness in the management of resources were over in the state.
In a statement by the Special Assistant to the Bauchi State Governor on Media and Communication, Yakubu Mohammed, yesterday, it said that more facts had emerged on security related expenditures by the former governor.
The statement said that between 2007 and 2015, the sum of N91 billion was released as security vote requirements with the highest spending of over N17 billion in 2013.
“For 2007, over N1 billion, over N6 billion in 2008, 2009 gulped over N8 billion. N10 billion was spent in 2010 while over N14 billion was released for the year 2011. Other releases of over N11 billion, N16 billion and N4 billion were for 2012, 2014, 2015 respectively,” it stated.
The statement added that the facts were released and certified by the state’s Accountant General, Abubakar Gabi.
Meanwhile, Governor Abubakar, who spoke during a courtesy visit by the members of consultative council of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Bauchi State chapter at the Government House vowed that his administration will block all financial leakages that were prevalent during the previous administration in the state.
He said: “My administration took over a government that was wrecked because nothing was working in the state. I met a backlog of unpaid salaries, which I borrowed to pay workers. I decided to reduce my salary and expenses of the Government House by 50 percent to reduce financial wastage. There is no money to waste in my government, even a sheet of paper must be accounted for.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has accused a former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki, a former minister of state for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, and a former director of finance at the office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, of stealing N5.05 billion between April 14, 2014 and May 7, 2015.
Former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki
The anti-graft agency also accused Mr. Yuguda, alongside a former governor of Sokoto state, Attahiru Bafarawa, his son, Sagir Bafarawa, and their company, Dalhatu Investment Limited, of receiving stolen property amounting to N4.633 billion from the office of the National Security Adviser.
The accused persons, who were arraigned before Justice Peter Affen of the High Court of the Federal Capital territory Abuja on Tuesday, all pleaded not guilty to a 22-count charge of fraud.
The charges are different from those raised against Mr. Dasuki and his alleged accomplices on Monday, involving the alleged misuse of N13.6 billion state funds.
Court papers obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, provide details of new charges against the former NSA. They contain supporting affidavits by a legal officer of the EFCC, Andrew Akoja.
Details of the 22-count charge against the suspects showed that Messrs. Dasuki and Salisu, between April 14, 2014 and May 7, 2015, transferred N3.350 billion from the account of the NSA with Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to the account of “Dalhatu Investment Limited with United Bank for Africa Plc, purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment”.
Mr. Bafarawa and his son, Sagir, as well as their company, Dalhatu Investment were also charged with collecting N3.350 billion from the former NSA “knowing the said sum to be stolen property but purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment”.
Messrs. Dasuki and Salisu are also accused of transferring another N500 million from the account of the NSA with Skye Bank to the account of Dalhatu Investment Limited with UBA on December, 20 2014 “purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment”.
Dalhatu Investment and the Bafarawas are also accused of receiving the same N500 Million even after “knowing same to be stolen property”.
The Bafawaras and their company are also accused of receiving another N100 million from a company, Jabbama Ada Global, on the instruction of former minister Yuguda, purportedly for the presidential campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party in Sokoto State, and knowing that the sum belonged to the Nigerian government.
Mr. Bafarawa, his son, Sagir, and their company Dalhatu Investment are also accused of “dishonestly receiving” N783 million between June 25 and August 20, 2014 into their account with UBA from the account of SAS Imprest Main Account with the CBN on the instruction of Mr. Dasuki.
More Charges
Mr. Bafarawa was also charged alone for collecting N100 million from Mr. Yuguda between February and April 2015, being stolen government money, but for which it was reportedly used in respect of the PDP campaign in the North Western part of Nigeria.
Messrs. Dasuki and Salisu were also alleged to have transferred N400 million from the account of NSA with Zenith Bank to the account of Jabbama Ada Global Services limited controlled by former minister Bashir Yuguda on 16 April 2015.
The former NSA and his director of Finance, Salisu, also allegedly transferred N1.1 billion to the same account of Jabbama Ada Global Services belonging to Mr. Yuguda between February 5 and April 16for the purpose of financing PDP campaigns in the 2015 general election.
Mr. Yuguda was also alleged to have transferred N200 million on December 31, 2014 from the funds in the Federation Account Allocation Committee with Ecobank Plc to the account of Jabbama Ada Global, his personal company.
He also reportedly converted the money into Dollar equivalent and collected same.
Between December 23, 2014 and February 10, 2015, Mr. Yuguda was said to have “dishonestly misappropriated” the aggregate sum of $9,809,169, which was an equivalent of N1.95 billion belonging to the Nigerian government, by transferring same to Jabbam Ada Global Services Limited.
Messrs. Dasuki and Salisu also between August 2013 and February 2015 allegedly “dishonestly misappropriated” N1.675 billion by transferring the money to the account of Vibrant Resources Limited with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, controlled by Abubakar Dasuki, the younger brother of the former NSA, purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment.
After they all pleaded not guilty to the charges, and their counsel said application for bail had already been submitted, Justice Affen fixed Wednesday for hearing on the bail application.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday arraigned a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda; former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; his son Sagir Attahiru, and their firm Dalhatu Investment on 22 counts of misappropriation of about N13bn meant for purchase of arms by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa
Also to arraigned along with them before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama are the immediate past NSA, Sambo Dasuki and a former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu.
The accused were said to have misappropriated the money between August 2013 and May 7, 2015.
All the accused were arraigned before Justice Peter Affen, who had on Monday granted leave to the EFCC to prefer the charges against the accused persons.
They pleaded not guilty to 22 counts of conspiracy, dishonest receipt of stolen property in breach of sections 97 and 317 of the Penal Code Act as well as receipt of proceeds of criminal conducts in breach of section 17(b) of the EFCC Act.
Both Dasuki and Salisu were on Monday arraigned alongside Aminu Baba-Kusa and his two firms – Acacia Holdings Ltd and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited – before Justice Yusuf Baba of the same FCT High Court in Maitama on separate 19 counts involving alleged N32bn fraud.
After the arraignment on Tuesday, Justice Affen fixed Wednesday for hearing of the accused persons bail applications.
The wife of the past Governor of Bauchi State, Mrs. Abiodun Yuguda, on Saturday, faulted the claim by the Bauchi State recovery committee inaugurated by Governor Mohammed Abubakar, that 22 cars were recovered from Yuguda’s wives. She said the claim was far from the truth.
Abubakar had, upon assumption of office on May 29, inaugurated the committee to recover all government property allegedly looted by officials of the Yuguda administration.
The committee, in a report submitted to Governor Abubakar, claimed that 11 vehicles were recovered from Yuguda’s first wife Aisha, seven from the second wife, Abiodun; four from the third wife, Maria, while the fourth wife, Nafisah, was out of the country as of the time the committee went to recover the vehicles in her possession.
But speaking with journalists in a telephone interview on Saturday from Abuja, Mrs. Yuguda refuted the claim.
According to her before Yuguda’s tenure ended, he instructed his wives to return all the vehicles they were using while in office and they all complied.
The cars, she said, were taken to the Bauchi State government liaison office in Abuja, from where the cars were towed to Bauchi.
She said: “I had a jeep, a Toyota Camry, which I was not using, and a pick-up van with me when we were leaving office. They are old vehicles bought before 2011. On the instruction of my husband, I returned them to the liaison office.
“When my husband asked us to return the cars, my personal assistant went to my office in Bauchi and took the cars to Government House in Bauchi. No car was collected from our houses. The only government jeep that I ever used was with the government mechanic in Abuja before my husband even government. By the time my husband left office, I was already using a Mercedes jeep which he bought for me.
“As a governor’s wife, I was using only one jeep without any backup car. On many occasions, I was stranded on the road when the jeep broke down. The Peugeot 406 that was with me as a backup had an accident and up till when my husband left office, no replacement was given to me.
“The governor lied against me to tarnish my image and those of my husband’s wives. I am sure that the God Almighty I serve will judge him. He will only escape God’s judgment if those cars were taken away from our houses. What did he really want to gain in tarnishing other people’s image?
“I will advise His Excellency, the new governor, to be praying to God for him to end well instead of tarnishing the image of innocent women.”
