In continuation of its investigations into the $115m (N23bn) bribe allegedly disbursed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Punch learnt the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Saturday arrested a former Governor of Zamfara State, Mamuda Shinkafi; a former Secretary to the Government of Zamfara State, Aminu Nahuce; and Senator Hassan Nasiha, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Zamfara State.
The fund was allegedly
disbursed through Fidelity Bank during the build-up to the 2015 general
election.
Sources at the EFCC
told Punch correspondent that the three PDP chieftains were arrested based on
the statement of a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, who
reportedly confessed last week that he supervised the disbursement of N450m to
leaders of the PDP in Zamfara State.
An impeccable source at
the anti-graft agency said, “Operatives of the EFCC Kano zonal office revealed
how the N450m was received by former Zamfara SSG, Aminu Nahuce; and one Mallaha
as signatories for the documents securing the release of the money on Bashir
Yuguda’s instruction which was shared in his house under his supervision.
“In his statement of
admission to the investigators last week, Yuguda, a former Finance Minister
under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, indicted the former Governor Shinkafi as
a beneficiary of the money.
“Yuguda said in his
statement that the ex-governor received N15m while Hassan Nasiha, a former
senator and state PDP Chairman of Zamfara State and members of his committee
received N5m.”
The EFCC source,
however, told Punch correspondent that the anti-graft agency had told all those
involved to return the money as it had been established that the money was
stolen.
He said some of those
arrested had agreed to return the money, adding that the Zamfara PDP chairman
had returned N2m.
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