Alleged N109b theft: HURIWA asks Buhari to sanction RMAFC officials

Following the indictment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of officials of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in the alleged N109 billion theft by suspended Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to either disband the commission or suspend its commissioners pending the determination of the suit instituted by the anti-graft agency.

In a statement, yesterday, by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group regretted that the Nigerian leader is yet to take “immediate, open and transparent measures to order their arrest and immediate disbandment of the board or at least to suspend all the indicted commissioners pending the outcome of the prosecution initiated by the anti-graft body. Does it mean that because the officials are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), they are above the law of the land in such a way that they can’t be brought to book for alleged bribe?”

HURIWA recalled that “EFCC released fresh facts on how the suspended AGF compromised the Treasury Single Account (TSA), Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS) and carted away billions of naira belonging to the government.”

Quoting a press release made available to newsmen by the anti-graft body, the rights group stressed that Idris and his co-defendants: Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman are standing trial for the N109 billion sum before Justice A. O. Adeyemi Ajayi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja.

Besides, HURIWA cited another EFCC statement that said at the resumed trial of the case on Thursday, July 28, 2022, “the Chief Investigative Officer and Prosecution Witness 1 (PW1), Chief Superintendent of the EFCC, CSE Hayatu Sulaiman Ahmed, while being led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), told the court that the investigations by the EFCC showed that Idris, while in office, compromised key units under his care like the TSA, GIFMIS and IPPIS that led to loss of funds by the government.”

“Idris allegedly used the funds in constructing properties like the Gezawa Exchange Limited, Gezawa Integrated Farms and Kano City Mall.”