In 2014 the EFCC discovered that Mr. Lamido and his sons used their
positions to seize Jigawa State funds. N1.3 billion from the
construction firm Dantata and Sawoe was paid into the accounts that the
former Governor and his sons had interests in. The EFCC arrested Mr.
Lamido's sons, Mustapha and Aminu, in 2013. However, their father, Sule
Lamido, enjoyed full immunity.
After returning to Nigeria from abroad, the former Governor of Jigawa
State, Sule Lamido, promised that he would pay a visit to the Economic
and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) this Thursday to follow up with
ongoing EFCC investigations he is implicated in.
He stated that because the EFCC is the government's anti-graft
agency, and commissioned by law, there was no reason he would deny the
invitation. Lamido is willing to honor the invitation and claims he
would have also gone if he was still a Governor with immunity.
During the period Lamido was in office, Dantata and Sawoe
Construction Company was awarded contracts of about N13.5 billion. The
State Government paid for these contracts.
In 2014 the EFCC discovered that Mr. Lamido and his sons used their
positions to seize Jigawa State funds. N1.3 billion from the
construction firm Dantata and Sawoe was paid into the accounts that the
former Governor and his sons had interests in. The EFCC arrested Mr.
Lamido's sons, Mustapha and Aminu, in 2013. However, their father, Sule
Lamido, enjoyed full immunity.
Martin Elechi, the previous Governor of Ebonyi State, is also under corruption investigation and interrogation by the EFCC.
Until recently, Mr. Elechi had not honored the EFCC's invitation.
Instead, his lawyer sent notification to the agency that Elechi was not
available at the time they wanted to question him.
In January, the EFCC also interrogated Elechi's son, Nnanna Elechi, over fraud allegations.
Nnanna was said to have profited from State and Local Government contracts.
Prior to May 29th, Elechi was a former Governor who could not face
any charges the anti-graft agency threw his way; he had constitutional
immunity against legal prosecution. However, now that he is no longer in
office the EFCC is resuming its investigation in full.
The EFCC has also questioned the Secretary of the State Ministry of
Works, Cornelius Onwe, the State's Accountant General, Edwin Igbele, the
Commissioner for Finance, Timothy Ogbonnaya Odaa, and the Commission
for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Cele Nwali.
All those mentioned above were suspected to partake in fraud
concerning the Asphalt Project. It is probable that millions of naira
were deducted from several Local Government accounts.
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