The Bauchi State Government has declared that plans are ongoing to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged maladministration former Governor Isa Yuguda and some of his associates.
The state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Salisu Abubakar, said this at a media briefing held at the Government House on Friday.
Abubakar is also the chairman of a high-profile committee set up by the Governor Mohammed Abubakar to investigate major contracts awarded by the past administration in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, especially the State Universal Basic Education Board, the Ministry of Local Government Affairs and the Bauchi State Specialist Hospital between May 2007 and May 2015.
The commissioner noted that the report, which was submitted to the governor on Friday, was a product of a deliberate effort that lasted 11 months to provide an opportunity for all office holders, contractors and other persons of the former administration to defend their actions before the committee in relation to the use of the state funds in the period under review.
Abubakar said, “Some of them refused to honour the committee’s invitation, some came but could not give convincing statements.
“Anybody who goes through this report, believe me, will not be able to sleep because of the level of the irregularities we discovered.
“Most of the major contracts awarded by the past administration in all the MDAs investigated were either not competed, while payments have been made.
“Others were overinflated, poorly executed or due process was not followed in the award, while in others, contractors were overpaid without any acceptable reason or explanation.”
He added, “It is so pathetic, how monies of the Bauchi State Government were carted away and banks were used to perpetrate all these.
“My office, the Ministry of Justice, is making plans already to get a fiat from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute these cases and even insurgency cases.
“But I assure you that the EFCC and the ICPC will be enormously involved in these cases.”
According to Abubakar, N212.22bn had to be accounted for by the former government officials, including recoverable funds from contractors, consultants, government officials and banks.
-Punch
