Greed, lack of contentment made me kill my colleague – FIRS official

Sadiq Zubairu, 35, is a tax officer at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in Kaduna office, a new job he got in 2024 after leaving the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO). Zubairu was arrested by the police over an alleged killing of his KEDCO colleague, Bello Bukar Adam, who allegedly gave him N3 million to secure a job for him at the FIRS. In this interview, the suspect told Daily Trust on Sunday that it was greed, love for worldly materials and lack of contentment that led him to conspire with two others, now at large, to kill his friend.

What is your job description at the Federal Inland Revenue Service?

I am a tax officer. I worked at the KEDCO from 2017 to 2024 when I resigned and joined the FIRS.

Tell us the circumstances that led to the death of one Bukar Abba Adam?

Bello Bukar Adam was my colleague at the KEDCO. We worked at Dorayo CSP; he was my supervisor while I was his sales representative. We worked there for almost one year. From there, I was moved to Tunga CSP, where I was appointed as a supervisor and he was equally deployed to my office as a supporting staff because I was lacking staff there. He was a team member, so from there we developed a good relationship.

When I left KEDCO we kept in touch because he used to call me. One day during Ramadan, he called me, seeking to know how I got my job at the FIRS and I told him that I bought it. I also told him that if he was interested I could confirm from the person who gave me the job offer and we ended the call that day. Subsequently, later that day I went back to him and told him that there would be a slot available. He gave a condition that he wanted to work within Kano metropolis, so I told him that such offer was more than what I bought my own – from N2.7 million to N 3.5 million. Lastly, we agreed on N3.2 million and I asked him to pay N3 million as advance and when the offer would be ready and before he would go for IPPS he would pay the balance of N200,000. He said there was no problem.

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After that discussion, some days later he made a payment of N3 million into my account and I forwarded it to my friend in the Federal Character Commission.

The idea was that from the date of payment till 60 days, the offer should be ready, but anything beyond that, the offer would not come. On Sunday I used my phone to call him, saying he should meet me at Muhibba Filling Station to take his new job offer. He expressed excitement and said he was coming. When he came, I entered his car to the house and we exchanged pleasantries. We also discussed about KEDCO. By 7 minutes to 10.00pm two people who were stationed outside came in.

One of the people I stationed outside was my boy in the KEDCO and he came with another person. I wanted them to tie him up and subdue him and I would tell him that the job offer was not coming and he should give me enough time to refund his money.

The money you said you forwarded to somebody else?

I wanted to take time before paying him back because I am someone who doesn’t want stress.

What happened when he entered your house?

I closed the door and asked him to lie down. He did and we wanted to tie his legs. He immediately became angry and we tried to overpower him, but because he was healthy and powerful, I had to give my support to overpower him and my finger entered his mouth and he removed my finger with his teeth. From there, my boy went and brought a pestle and hit his legs, so he became weak and we tied his legs and hands. We also hit his head twice.

The two boys brought his car, I opened the gate for them and we put him in the boot. They took him away and disposed the body and brought back the car. I took the car to a garage close to Bristol Palace Hotel and kept it, telling the person there that I would come and pick it the following day. The following day, my former boss at KEDCO, Mo Dantata, called me and asked if I saw Bello. I said I saw him but didn’t know more about him. He said I should keep my line open in case he wanted to contact me again and I said okay.

On Tuesday, he called again and told me that my attention was needed in this police station. I told him that I didn’t know the place but I would try to locate it. When I came here, they interrogated me. Initially, I didn’t cooperate with investigation, but later on, when my wife, my brother and my daughter came, my spirit became weak.  Since then, I have been cooperating with investigation. I told them everything I know, including where the car was and where they could take the key in my house. There was an exhibit of blood in the wall and the ceiling of my house.

Why did you do this to your friend and colleague?

It is a myth because God knows that I don’t lack anything in life. I am doing well. It was devil’s influence, greed and nothing more.