The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Directorate, has handed over recovered funds totalling ₦837,485,389 to the Katsina State Government following investigations into separate cases of alleged treasury fraud and diversion of public funds in the state.
The handover took place on Monday at the Kano Zonal Directorate, where the Zonal Director, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Friday S. Ebelo, presented the recovered funds to the Executive Director of Standard and Compliance, Katsina State Internal Revenue Service, Dr Kabir Abdullahi Yantumaki.
According to the EFCC, the first recovery involved ₦547,015,389 linked to the alleged diversion of nearly ₦1.3 billion in statutory tax remittances belonging to the state government.
The commission said the funds, sourced from international organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and ALIMA, were allegedly diverted into a private bank account by six officials of the Board of Internal Revenue Service and three bank employees.
It disclosed that 12 suspects were charged to court in connection with the case, adding that six had been convicted after pleading guilty, while the remaining suspects were still standing trial before the Katsina State High Court.
The EFCC also recovered ₦290,470,000 in another case involving alleged treasury fraud uncovered through a 2021 intelligence report. According to the commission, investigations revealed that former Sub-Treasurer, Sani Lawal BK, and former Deputy Sub-Treasurer, Saadu Maiwada, allegedly diverted funds from the Katsina State Sub-Treasury Expenditure Account into personal companies through unauthorised cash withdrawals.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Ebelo said the recovery was a result of painstaking investigations by EFCC operatives and urged the state government to utilise the funds for the benefit of residents. “This money belongs to the people of Katsina State, and I will urge that same be used for the betterment of the people of Katsina State,” he said.
Receiving the funds, Yantumaki commended the EFCC for its professionalism and assured that the recovered money would be paid into the state’s consolidated revenue account for public use.