Zamfara State Government has accused former Governor Abdulaziz Yari’s administration of diverting over N10billion.
Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Rabi’u Garba said at a press briefing in Gusau on Tuesday that the money was part of N37 billion refunded to the state by federal government for the construction of federal roads.
According to him, the refund was made through the Director General and a female staff of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, in what the commissioner described as illegal as they are neither indigents nor staff of the state government.
Mr. Garba further said, the present administration wrote letters of enquiry to the Federal Ministry of Finance and Department of Debt management, who replied to have paid the Sum N37.4 billion, and a staff of the NGF acknowledged the receipt of N14, 960, 105,512.93k and another payment document dated 1st April, 2019 in which the said DG of the NGF acknowledged the receipt of N22, 440, 158, 269.00.
He added that, the N37 Billion were approved to be domiciled in UBA Bank and thereafter on the 30th of April, 2019 the former administration liquidated the fund and withdrawn N17, 328, 290, 215.32 and transferred N10bn to the state university account and N4 Billion to Ministry for Local Government and chieftaincy Affairs, adding that both the collections and liquidation of the funds were done without following due process.
Zamfara state government will sue all persons involved and called on Federal government, Security agencies and international communities to assist the state in tracing the missing money, he added.
