A Northern-based group, the Northern Christians Accord (NCA), has expressed concerns over the ongoing delay in addressing allegations of financial misconduct against the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
The group is urging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to take swift action to investigate the claims.
In a statement released on Thursday, signed by Barr. Gideon Jato and Bro. Sunday Adoka, President and Secretary of the NCA respectively, the group called for a thorough probe into El-Rufai’s administration, stressing that it is long overdue for the EFCC to act.
The call for action follows multiple petitions submitted to the EFCC after the Kaduna State House of Assembly’s indictment of El-Rufai and key officials of his government over the alleged misappropriation of N423 billion.
In June 2024, an ad-hoc committee set up by the Assembly to investigate financial dealings during El-Rufai’s eight years in office found evidence of corrupt practices, including improper contract awards and the mismanagement of state loans.
The Assembly’s report, submitted by committee chairman Henry Danjuma, outlined several instances of corruption spanning from May 2015 to May 2023 within Kaduna’s government ministries, departments, and agencies. Among the recommendations was the withdrawal of a disputed Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) account guarantee at Zenith Bank and the referral of former state officials to law enforcement agencies for investigation.
The group lamented that despite these findings, no substantial action has been taken by the EFCC or the ICPC, leading the NCA to question the commission’s commitment to tackling corruption.
It compared the case to the swift actions taken by the EFCC in other instances, including the investigation of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who was pursued by the EFCC without a formal parliamentary indictment.
The NCA has now urged the EFCC to act quickly, emphasizing the urgency of recovering the alleged embezzled funds and holding those responsible accountable.
Failure to do so, the group warned, would lead to public awareness campaigns and protests across Northern Nigeria, calling for international attention to the matter.
“We expect the EFCC and other relevant agencies to do the right thing,” the statement concluded. “Should they fail, we will not hesitate to mobilize our members across the Northern states to demand accountability and transparency in this case.”
