By Abiola Olawale
Reports emerging on Tuesday suggest that the troubles facing the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai may not have come to an end.
This is as reports suggest that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly begun investigations on the allegations levelled against the former Governor.
The anti-graft agency has reportedly constituted a special task force saddled with the responsibility of commencing a full-scale investigation into the fraud case which purportedly occurred during the administration of Nasir El-Rufai.
A knowledgeable source who spoke with the press said the special task force may need to invite El-Rufai and some other individuals in the course of its investigation.
The source said the EFCC received a petition from a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), which allegedly indicted individuals who held the position of Finance commissioners between May 29, 2015, and May 29, 2023; all the accountant generals during his eight-year tenure, and the chairpersons of the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) from 2018 to 2023.
The source said: “We received a petition from an NGO. So, we have started an investigation into the matters raised in the petition.
“The report of the Ad-Hoc Committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly is also handy. We will soon invite el-Rufai and some members of his team for interrogation.
“The Special Task Force on Monday (yesterday) held a long session on the contents of the petition and the report of the Ad-Hoc Committee.”
“The report of the House of Assembly has laid a solid foundation for the probe by our team.”
The New Diplomat reports that El-Rufai came under scrutiny after his successor, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, on March 30, said he inherited multibillion-naira debt from his predecessor, an enormous deficit he claims made salary payments to state workers a daunting task.
Shortly after, the Kaduna State House of Assembly constituted a probe committee on April 16, 2024, tasked with embarking “on fact-finding of financial dealings, loans and grants and other projects implementation from 2015-2023”.
Last week, the Chairman of the committee, Henry Zacharia, presented the report of the Committee before the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
It would be recalled that the Chairman said investigations by the Committee revealed that most of the loans obtained under El-Rufai’s administration were allegedly diverted to finance other purposes.
He also advised that a comprehensive inquiry be conducted and legal action taken against El-Rufai and other implicated members of his administration by security and anti-corruption authorities.
