Two former governors who are currently serving in the Senate on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon be guests of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Senators Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (APC, Kano) and Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (APC, Sokoto) would be quizzed on allegations of money laundering and misappropriation of state funds during their tenure, Daily Trust can report.
While Kwankwaso, immediate past governor of Kano State would be invited based on petitions alleging diversion of local government funds amounting to N3.08billion, Wamakko, ex-governor of Sokoto State would be expected to clear the air over allegations of theft of public funds and money laundering totalling N15 billion.
A highly dependable source within the EFCC, who confided this to Daily Trust yesterday, said the Commission is currently carrying out investigations into several petitions brought against the two APC senators in 2015.
In the case of Kwankwaso, our source said, his invitation would be based on a petition brought before the commission and signed by one Barrister Mustapha Danjuma and co. on behalf of Engineer Abubakar Maisha’ani and Alhaji Najumai Garba Kobo.
In the petition dated May 27, 2015, Senator Kwankwaso was said to have received contributions of N70 million from each of the 44 local government councils (totalling N3.08billion) towards his presidential primaries in 2015.
“In the course of our investigations some vouchers were discovered from the local government areas showing that each contributed the sum of N70 million towards the 2015 presidential primaries of Kwankwaso”, said our source who asked to remain unnamed due to the sensitive nature of the matter.
The source said investigations into this and other petitions were ongoing to trace where these funds were deposited, adding that Kwankwaso would soon be invited by the EFCC to defend the allegations.
Daily Trust also gathered that the EFCC would soon invite Senator Wammakko over several petitions it received on alleged theft and laundering of state funds amounting to N15 billion between 2011 and 2015.
The petition in this respect was said to have been forwarded to the EFCC by a body known as ‘Movement for the Liberation and Emancipation of Sokoto State’ on August 10, 2015 and signed by its chairman, M.D.Sirajo and secretary, Mudashiru Umar Alhassan.
“Investigation so far has traced to the personal account of Senator Wammako a cash deposit of about N1.5bn by three individuals suspected to be staff of Sokoto State Government House”, said our source, adding “the Senator would be invited any moment from now.”
Spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that the Commission was investigating allegations contained in petitions against the two senators and that they would soon be invited to defend the allegations.
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