The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has cleared the air on the purported arrest and detention of the President of the Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development (PAPSD), Dr Sani Shinkafi. He described the media reports as cheap blackmail, and called on journalists and media organisations to embrace investigative journalism in order to convey honest information to the reading public.
The Commandant, Sokoto Zonal Head Office, EFCC, Mr Bawa Kaltungo who made the call while responding to inquiries triggered by conflicting media reports, explained that the Sokoto Zonal Office of the EFCC invited Dr Sani Shinkafi to clarify evidence he earlier tendered to the commission alleging mismanagement of funds by the administration of the immediate past Governor of the State, Abdulaziz Yari.
While noting that Dr Sani Shinkafi did well to honor the invitation, the Commandant described as false, published reports by some section of the media saying that Dr Shinkafi was arrested. “Dr Sani Shinkafi was invited, he honored the invitation, he was not detained,” Kaltungo said.
He said: “It is quite unfortunate that some journalists would go and write falsehood without clarifying information.” He explained that the EFCC can invite anybody, and wondered “why some journalists go about telling lies on the pages of newspapers, writing things that did not happen!”
“We read of lies that he was arrested by the EFCC because he defrauded somebody to the tune of one billion Naira, and another 20 billion Naira, and to the best of my knowledge, there was nothing like that. I wish they called to confirm before publishing the stories,” he said, stating that political gladiators should stop politicising EFCC invitations. “Dr Shinkafi was invited and he honored the invitation because he respects the law,” Kaltungo said, adding that he was confronted with the evidence and he responded to it.
When confronted, Dr Sani Shinkafi corroborated the position of the Sokoto Zonal Office of the EFCC saying that he was invited to the EFCC Zonal office in Sokoto following the directive that he come forward to clarify the petitions he earlier sent to the EFCC over the alleged looting of Zamfara State treasury by the administration of the immediate past Governor of the state, Abdulaziz Yari.
Dr Shinkafi said: “We had petitioned the EFCC demanding the investigation of the misappropriation and diversion of the N499 million meant for the purchase of fertilizers by the former Governor of Zamfara State Abdulazeez Yari. Our group in the said petition to the Chairman of the Commission routed through the Sokoto Zonal Office of the EFCC demanded the Commission to invite, investigate and possibly prosecute former Governor Yari and the Managing Director of Zamfara Agricultural Supply Company Limited for illegal withdrawals, misappropriation of funds belonging to the Zamfara State Government.
He alleged that the Fertilizer Dealers Associations in Zamfara State deposited the sum of three hundred and seventy million, eight hundred thousand Naira (N370,800,000) only, which is equivalent to the value of 103 trucks and 278 bags of fertilizer into Zamfara State Agricultural Supply Company Limited Fertilizer Sales Account domiciled in Access Bank Gusau Branch with Bank Account Number 0029140950.
Shinkafi explained that PAPSD had also petitioned EFCC asking it to invite, investigate and possibly prosecute Yari, his former Commissioners of Finance and Local Government Affairs for allegedly diverting over N365million from the accounts of the Local Government under the guise of sponsoring ulamas to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.
Dr Shinkafi further said he earlier wrote a petition against Maman Nasir and Co Law firm for illegal deduction and diversion of 1,088,000,000: 00k purportedly for consultancy services for processing of bail out funds, adding that the principal partner of the law firm, Barrister Sani Katu was invited EFCC Zonal Head Office for clarification during which he wrote in his statement that the sum of N980,000,000 was paid to a proxy in 98 instalments by bank draft which was admitted as evidence for the transactions.
Dr Shinkafi, who was dismayed by the failure of the Ibrahim Magu-led EFCC to prosecute him despite the evidence of the transactions said Katu sued the former EFCC Zonal Head, Abdullahi Lawal for violation of fundamental human rights after he was granted bail, and made Dr. Shinkafi a co-defendant in the suit
Dr Shinkafi said the EFCC Zonal Head office Sokoto invited me to harmonise and adopt my statements of defence for the final determination of the suit slated for 5th October 2021.
Later is was translated to political propaganda, empty blackmail and mischief making to divert the attention of the members of the public against the stealing, diversion, abuse of office and award of fictitious contracts and looting of public funds belonging to the Peoples of Zamfara State for personal enrichment.
On the N37.4 Promissory Notes PAPSD had charged Abdulrashid Bawa to arrest and prosecute Abdulaziz Yari and all those mentioned in the petition, over allegations of the diversion of N37.4 billion promissory notes, being the refund of the rehabilitation of Federal Government roads in Zamfara State.
The group called on Bawa to honor the pledge he made during his screening by the Senate where he vowed to bring to book all corrupt officials without fear or favour, noting that it had written several petitions to the Commission without action from the EFCC.
Shinkafi charged the Chairman of the Commission to make good his pledge, noting that inspite of several petitions and the conclusion of investigations by the Sokoto Zonal office of the Commission, the former Chairman of the Commission Ibrahim Magu refused to arraign the suspects even when a prima facie case was established against them.
Specifically, we had in a petition called on the EFCC to investigate the fraudulent misappropriation and diversion of the N37.400,263,782:33 billion promissory notes belonging to Zamfara State as refund for federal roads projects executed by the state government.
Shinkafi said: “I hereby forward a petition to the Commission for a thorough investigation and possible prosecution of the case of the fraudulent and criminal diversion of the N37,400,263,781 being the promissory notes which were issued by the Federal Government through the Debt Management Office ((DMO).”
He said the said N37,400,263,781 is a refund of the federal rehabilitated roads in Zamfara state which was issued on December 28th, 2018 with Face Value #14,960,105,512:93 with a Maturity Date: 28th December, 2020 and the 1st April 2019 with a Face Value of Promissory Note : #22,440,158,269:00 Promissory Note Reference FGN /PN/2019/SG/21 with Maturity Date of 1st April 2022.
Shinkafi explained that the promissory notes were however discounted to the United Bank for Africa (UBA) by former Governor Abdulaziz Yari ahead of the maturity dates without the approval of the State Executive Council or the resolution of the Zamfara State House Of Assembly, adding that Zamfara State government lost billions of naira after the promissory notes were acquired at an undisclosed discounted rate.
“In his desperate bid to cash out the N37.400,263,781 that has not matured he terminated the deal by Shinkafi stated that “it is on record that we had been invited by the Ibrahim Magu led Commission to come forward to adopt our petition which we did, our petition was thoroughly investigated, some arrests were made but the Magu led Commission did not allow the prosecution of the suspects. We hope that the Bawa led Commission will do the needful and walk the talk by arresting and prosecuting all those found culpable in the looting, diversion and laundering of funds belonging to Zamfara State.”
