Kwara EFCC Reveals Officials Who Allegedly Swindle N5bn

The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has uncovered how the twenty four ex lawmakers of the Kwara State House of Assembly, the immediate past Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu and some companies allegedly swindled about five billion belonging to the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service between 2015 to 2019.

The immediate past Chairman of the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, Professor Muritala Awodu, A former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Mr. Moshood Bakare and some staff of the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service are presently being interogated by the operatives of the Commission.

It was discovered during investigations that about five companies linked to highly placed Politicians in Kwara State benefited about four billion naira from the money without any valid contractual agreements with the State Government.

Other beneficiaries in the monies include, all the former twenty four members of the Kwara State House of Assembly including the speaker, Dr. Ali Ahmad, former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, the former Accountant-General of the State and Ishola Sulyman, a Permanent Secretary among others.

The former Kwara internal revenue boss while being interrogated by the operatives of the Commission said “the House of Assembly members were collecting N4 million monthly for Public Relations and shared among themselves”.

According to him; “the former Kwara State Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu was collecting N5 million, every months without working for it, infact, Mr Banu collect it in cash, I do take it to his house”.

On his part, Bakare, a former Chairman of House Committee on Appropriation and Finance said; ” they do send the money, four million naira monthly into the account of my personal assistant who is presently being detained by the EFCC, He will then withdraw the money and give me, I will now hand it over to the Speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad who will now share it to all the honourable members”.

He further stated that: “Some Honourable Members do collect the money in cash while some will insist that it the money should be transferred into their accounts ”

It was further discovered that a Personal Assistant to the Former Governor of Kwara State, Rafiu Olasile received the sum of N10 million cash from one of the aides to ex-Chairman of House Committee on Appropriation and Finance.