Some stakeholders have asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) to make every state governor account for the security votes allocated to them in office.
The argument is coming just as the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT) stormed the cooperate headquarters of the EFCC on Tuesday to demand a probe into security votes allocated to both present and past state governors.
In a petition tabled before the anti-graft agency NACAT noted that it has painstakingly investigated and audited many of the financial records of the states available, particularly that of Akwa-Ibom state, and discovered wanton corruption and embezzlement of public funds in 2018 alone and decided to hand over the matter to the EFCC as the government agency empowered by law to look into economic and financial crimes for further investigation and prosecution.
According to NACAT’s operations manager, Stanley Ugagbe, over N3 trillion was allocated to the Akwa Ibom State under the 8 years tenure of Emmanuel Udom but a staggering sum of N700 billion was diverted, in addition to over 500 billion borrowed to undertake futile projects across the state.
He informed the commission that over N4.5 billion was withdrawn and claimed to be given to security agencies within six months, adding that over N10 billion was spent in just 2018 as security votes, in addition to the withdrawals of a total of N4billion from the governor’s office into a Wema Bank account number 0122882810.
Reacting to the development, an anti-corruption expert, Light Shedrack insisted that leaders are supposed to be accountable to the people who elected them into office and every kobo received by them must be accounted for.
He noted: “One kobo in the name of security vote does not belong to any governor. Yes, for any reasons, because security peculiarities. Yes, they are the chief security officer of that state. But accountability of that money, that money doesn’t belong to them. It is not their money. It is the state fund.
“They are servant. I have spent 1 billion protecting you at the people of Akwa Ibom, this is how I spend it, and that is why he was smart. He actually mentioned security institutions. But the issue is that that money was raised in the name of those security institutions, Where were those monies given to them?
“That is where these people get so smart, the money belongs to the people of Akwa-Ibom, and he has to account for how to spend it, No security vote belongs to the governor. It belongs to the state that has it. He should account for how he spent it. It is not his money.”
Also, a lawyer, Ojefia Justice, noted that security agencies saddled with the responsibility of carrying out investigations and prosecutions should be alive to their responsibilities in respective of the nature of the matter, so long it is a financial crime.
According to the lawyer, section 308 of the constitution which guarantees governors’ immunity does not stop them from accounting for taxpayers’ funds and urged the appropriate security agency to invite those accused and those making allegations to substantiate and defend their allegation.
