NEWS
Kwara Govt. Alleges Theft of N11.9bn by Former Governor Ahmed
From Alfred Babs, Ilorin
Kwara state government has alleged that about N11.9billion of public funds were stolen from it treasury during the regime of former Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed between 2011 and 2019.
The state government in a statement signed by Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to the governor on Thursday said that the stolen funds discovered by an audit firm appointed by the government were without any lawful tie to any project or programme.
The statement said that a forensic audit report revealed the alleged fraud amid other mind-boggling revelations of alleged malfeasance within the period of the immediate former administration in the state.
The audit also showed that N2bn cash withdrawals not tied to any project or official expenditure were made within eight days in February 2019, barely one month to the general election.
But Abdulwahab Oba, Chief Press Secretary to Ahmed said the allegations raised by the government through the audit firm was political, coming three years after the former governor had left office.
Oba in a reaction to the alleged fraud said, “Since we left office more than three years ago, the accounts have been properly audited by various auditing agencies and had been certified. Any query now, six months to election, on the legality or otherwise of the expenditure, are after thought and politically motivated.
“The allegations are preposterous, naive unspecific and generally unfounded. Every expenditure during the period under review was properly appropriated and followed due process. If there were infractions as alleged, there are laid down procedures for correction.
“Rather than search for what is not lost or embark on political vendetta, this Government should account for more than N.3trillion accruing to it in the last three years without commensurate infrastructural development. The debt profile of this government is unprecedented in the history of Kwara State. As at today, Kwara State is paying not less than N1.3 Billion monthly as interest on various largely unaccounted for loans”, Oba said.
“As recently confirmed by His Exellency, Abdulrahman AbdulRazak in his guided chat with his media agents, N17 billion out of N27 billion bond is “sitting in a bank” while the state continues to pay interest on it. This raises a lot of questions as to the reason the bond was taken in the first place.
“The Governor should tell Kwarans when last he held a State Executive Council meeting to approve various contracts and other expenditures. Time of reckoning is here.
Speaking during the submission of the report to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Thursday, Partner at the SSAC and Professionals, Anthony Iniomoh said, “A few highlights of our findings may be necessary for the record. Our forensic audit revealed a colossal pilfering of N11, 981,268,709 which we recommended should be recovered to the public coffers. Similarly, we recommended to the state government to prosecute certain officers and companies in addition to claiming exemplary damages on transactions totalling N6,023,358,444, amongst other key findings.
“This is especially so in the cases of firms that we observed were paid huge public funds without any evidence of work done on record. In one instance, records show that a firm that was incorporated at the Corporate Affairs Commission on 14th June, 2016 was paid by the state government for a contract it purportedly executed for the state in April of the same year. It became apparent that this was a preconceived attempt to defraud the state.
“There was an instance of public officer getting paid at two different places for years, which is a clear breach of the law. Other infractions arising as a result of obvious conflict of interest and violation of due process were also spotlighted for the government to draw up new policy instruments to prevent such in the future.
“There was also a cash withdrawal within 8 days of N2.06 billion in February 2019 which was of interest to the audit. However, no documentation was made available to validate the purpose for which the money was withdrawn. There were also several other cash withdrawals within the state over the period running into billions of Naira which we could not validate.
“These and others have been recommended to be referred to an Administrative Panel of Enquiry. Furthermore, the audit revealed that loans were obtained by the Kwara State Government within the period under review.
“The elements of these loans could not be validated. Above all, the bank accounts to which these loans were disbursed to and what the loans were used for could not be established or validated.”
The report suggested to the government to prosecute some individuals and firms indicted in the two volume report, while other issues are to be referred to administrative panel of inquiry for some individuals to explain their roles in the many infractions.
Iniomoh said that the report is in two volumes covering Internally Generated Revenue; Capital Receipts; Internal and External Loans; Recurrent / to market his party and its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.Overhead Expenditure; Personnel Cost (Salaries and Wages); Capital Expenditure; Assets Disposed; Kwara State Internal Revenue Service; Infrastructural Fund Kwara (IFK); Harmony Holdings Limited; amongst others.
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has confirmed the death of four persons in a motor accident which occurred on Sunday on Lokoja –Ajaokuta road in Kogi State.
The Kogi State Sector Commander of FRSC, Tenimu Etuku, who disclosed this to journalists in Lokoja on Monday, said seven other persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident.
He said the accident which involved an 18-seater Toyota commercial bus occurred at Jimgbe Community on Ajaokuta – Lokoja road, Ajaokuta Local Government.
Etuku said the injured victims of the accident were rescued by FRSC personnel, who also took them to the Kogi State Specialist Hospital for treatment while corpses of the dead four persons were deposited at the St.
Morgue of the same hospital.Giving further details, Etuku said the 18-seater bus with Abuja registration number ABC 232 XA was heading to Abuja from Enugu before the sad incident.
The Sector Commander explained that the driver in an attempt to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming truck rammed into a faulty stationary truck.
Etuku described the incident as very unfortunate, urging motorists to always be mindful of the motoring environment, which may be free but not safe.
“This is because there is a big difference between a free motoring environment and a safe motoring environment.
“Therefore, drivers must always be alert while driving on the highways,” he advised.
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr. Dennis Otuaro, has said that President Bola Tinubu is happy with the significant achievements recorded by the agency in the Niger Delta in about two years.
He spoke at the flag-off of the fourth batch of the two-day “Leadership, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Mediation Training for PAP Stakeholders” organised by the agency in collaboration with the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC) at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, on Monday.
The PAP had in July and August 2025 successfully conducted a similar capacity-building workshop for three batches of its stakeholders at the same military facility.
Otuaro, who said the President is delighted with the agency’s expanded scholarship scheme, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and peacebuilding process in the Niger Delta, urged stakeholders to maintain their position as key players in the region’s peace and development.
According to him, Tinubu is supportive of the programme because of his strong desire for the region to enjoy sustainable peace, stability and development.
He reiterated that the workshop is a vital component of the PAP’s peace process with all stakeholders as important partners in the peace initiative.
He stressed that the participants are not only partners for peace, but also the President’s peace ambassadors.
The PAP boss also applauded the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his strategic support to strengthen the programme’s initiatives and enable it to achieve the intended objectives for the people of the region.
While declaring the workshop open, Otuaro said, “His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu is very happy with what we have achieved so far in one year and nine months. As stakeholders, you should continue to be key players in the peace and development of the Niger Delta, which His Excellency has been very supportive of and desirous of.
“The objective behind this training is to ensure that all of us are partners in every peace effort in the Niger Delta. This initiative is also to give you a sense of belonging.
“When we organised this workshop in July and August this year, we assured stakeholders that more people would also participate in the training. We don’t want to do the PAP’s work alone. It is a process of putting our heads together to ensure that the region is peaceful and united. When we are united, Mr. President will do more for the region.
“We must also realise that peace starts from our communities; you all are leaders in your own rights. I know and acknowledge the support that the Office has received since we came on board. This leadership workshop is part of our peacebuilding process and is designed to ensure that peace is sustained in our region.
“Since we came on board, we have redirected the Programme towards our people and for the next generation. We have achieved a lot. This 2025-2026 academic session, we have sent 4,500 students, our future leaders, on scholarships to universities within Nigeria. We are doing this to invest in the future of our region.”
Otuaro said that his leadership would not be distracted by the smear campaign of some anti-Niger Delta elements who were angry that the programme had been taken to the people of the region, saying “nobody will hold the region to ransom.”
He further urged stakeholders not to be manipulated by political merchants, but to massively support President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid because of his clear agenda for the region.
Otuaro enjoined the stakeholders to participate actively in the workshop and utilise the lessons they would gain to strengthen peace and development in their communities and the Niger Delta in general.
He also expressed appreciation to the management of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, resource persons, and the President of AANDEC, Rear Admiral Ndidi Agholor (retd.), for partnering with the PAP to deepen the peace process in the region.
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
The Enugu State Police Command has sustained its onslaught against criminal activities during the Yuletide season with the arrest of a male armed robbery suspect and the recovery of an imitation firearm and ammunition.
The suspect, one Oshim Lambert Chimuanya (male, aged 28), was arrested on 13th December 2025 at about 11:30 p.
m. while attempting to rob members of the public around Agric Bank Bus Stop, Independence Layout, Enugu, following a prompt response to a distress call by operatives of the Command attached to the Independence Layout Police Division.In a statement sent by the Police public relations officer Enugu State command Daniel Ndukwe stated that Upon arrival at the scene, the operatives apprehended the suspect in the act of robbing an unsuspecting young man and recovered from him one revolver imitation (toy) pistol loaded with eight toy bullets.
The suspect is currently in custody and will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has charged operatives of the Command to sustain the momentum and continue to make Enugu State uninhabitable for unrepentant criminals during the festive season and beyond. He further enjoins citizens to continue to cooperate with the Police by providing timely and credible information that will aid crime prevention and detection.
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