The former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yarima has been dragged to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) by a Zamfara-based group, Concerned Citizens of Zamfara State.
The group in a petition to the two anti-graft bodies against the former governor based their complaints on the report of the Zamfara State
House of Assembly Investigative Committee into Abandoned Projects, headed by the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly Murtala Jangebe, which indicted Yarima of alleged misappropriation and diversion of funds to the tune of N5 billion.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, leader of the group Alhaji Kabiru Dan Hasiya Mafara said his group submitted the report to the two anti-corruption agencies with a plea for the findings of the House Investigative Committee to be taken up by the agencies with a view to recovering the N5 billion uncovered by the Committee.
He said the report found out that the said N5 billion was either misappropriated or diverted to private purposes.
In a letter accompanying the House Report submitted to the EFCC and ICPC and made available to newsmen, Alhaji Kabiru Mafara and Alhaji Kabiru Takwachime Gusau chairman and secretary of the Concerned Citizens of Zamfara State respectively stated that they had decided to seize the initiative of submitting the report of the House Investigative Committee to the anti-corruption agencies. Adding that they took the action because the Zamfara State Government “is unwilling or unable” to take necessary action on the report which indicted both former governor Ahmed Sani Yarima and his close ally and member of the House of Representatives Abdulaziz Yari since May 2008.
The group highlighted six aspects of the report for the scrutiny of the EFCC and the ICPC, including the Sale of grains to the Federal Government, supply of primary schools furniture, N1billion Loan for Gusau dam repairs, N1.6 Billion Electrification Project, contract for the construction of grains silos and sale of Zamfara State Liaison Office in Lagos.
“Our main concern is that after the submission of this revealing report by the House Investigative Committee, there has been no further action in any way to implement the recommendations of the Committee, despite compelling evidence and well-known culprits.
After thorough investigations into the reasons for this inaction, we are left to conclude that the Shinkafi administration is either unwilling or unable to pursue this matter to the logical conclusion of recovering our looted funds and prosecuting the looters, for reasons yet unknown,” the accompanying letter declared.
The group said it was committed to reversing the ugly trend whereby enormous financial resources received by the Zamfara State government for eight years under Ahmed Sani Yarima (1999-2007) did not translate into tangible development unlike in other states like Kebbi and Sokoto which were created together with Zamfara but witnessed development.