Kwara State House of Assembly has called on the state governor, Abdurazaq Abdulrahman to direct the prosecution of the former Chairman, Kwara State Internal Revenue Services, Prof. Muritala Awodun, and the 16 suspended Chairmen of Local Government Areas in the state for alleged illegal diversion of 10 percent of the Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) of their respective Local Government Councils.
The House made the call sequel to the report of the Ad-hoc Committee that investigated a petition “Against the 16 Local Government Councils in Kwara State for Misappropriation, Wastage, Misuse, Embezzlement, Diversion of Statutory Allocation other forms of Revenue and Paralization of Governance at the Councils”.
The chairman of the Committee, Hon Abdulgafar Ayinla, said the Ad-hoc committee observed that the council chairmen were culpable of the offences as alleged by the petitioner adding that there was the need for further investigation which could be better done by experts in economic crimes.
Reading the resolutions of the House, the Speaker, Rt Hon Yakubu Danladi Salihu, said the legislature also urged the governor to invite the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to conduct further investigations on Hon. Ayeni Dallas (Ekiti), Engr Lah Abdulmumeen (Ilorin East), Hajia Omodara Romoke Aminat (Ilorin West), and Hon. Muyiwa Oladipo (Irepodun) for diversion of public money for their private use through award of fictitious contracts and embezzlement of the councils’ funds.
The state assembly also urged the governor to direct the prosecution of the Vice Chairmen and other Executive Council members and Legislative Council members of all the 16 Local Governments for misappropriation of funds of the councils.
It equally called on Governor Abdulrazaq to direct the Local Government Service Commission to take appropriate disciplinary actions on all the Directors of Personnel Management and Treasurers of the 16 Local Governments for dereliction of duty and negligence in the performance of their duties, resulting in huge loss of councils’ funds.
