The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) has uncovered how the twenty four ex lawmakers of the Kwara State House of Assembly, the immediate past Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu and some companies allegedly swindled about five billion naira belonging to the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service between 2015 to 2019.
The money, we gathered was part of Kwara State Internally Generated Revenue, Kwara IGR. The immediate past Chairman of the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, Professor Muritala Awodu, a former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Moshood Bakare and some staff of the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service are presently being interrogated by the operatives of the Commission.
It was discovered during investigations that about five companies linked to highly placed politicians in Kwara State benefited from the N5 billion IGR without any valid contractual agreements with the State Government.
Other beneficiaries in the monies include, all the former twenty four members of the Kwara State House of Assembly including the speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad, former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, ex Kwara State Accountant General, Ishola Sulyman, Permanent Secretaries among others.
The former boss of Kwara State Internal Revenue Service(KIRS) while being interrogated by the operatives of the commission said ” the house of assembly members were collecting four million naira monthly for public relations and shared among themselves “
According to him “the former Kwara State Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu was collecting five million naira every months without working for it, infact, Mr Banu collect it in cash, I do take it to his house “
On his part, Bakare, a former Chairman of House Committee on appropriation and finance said ” the do send the money, four million naira monthly into the account of my personal assistant who is presently being detained by the EFCC. He will then withdraw the money and give me, I will now hand it over to the Speaker, Dr Ali Ahmad who will now share it to all the honourable members “
He further stated that ” Some Honourable Members do collect the money in cash while some will insist that it the money should be transferred into their accounts “, he said of the diverted Kwara IGR.
It was further discovered that a personal assistant to the Former Governor of Kwara State, Rafiu Olasile received the sum of ten million naira cash from one of the aides to ex Chairman of House Committee on Appropriation and Finance from the diverted Kwara IGR.
