Group Calls For El-rufai’s Arrest, Prosecution Over Corruption Allegations

By Frederick Peters, KADUNA.

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: A group known as Kaduna K 23 movement, has tasked the EFCC, ICPC, and government to immediately arrest and prosecute Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mal. Nasir El- rufai over the damming corruption report by the State Assembly .

The movement lamented the years of misrule by the immediate past administration, which they noted has plundered the state into hardship via arbitrary loans, monumental corruption among other things.

Addressing a Press briefing on Wednesday at the NUJ Press Centre, Kaduna, the group’s President Comrade Bashir Bello and General Secretary Amb Idris Musa, further wondered why the authorities are yet to take actions against the governor, despite the monumental corruption charges levelled against him by the KSHA’s report.

 ” Recent mind-boggling revelations of monumental corruption perpetrated by Mal-Nasir El-Rufai during his 8-year stint as the Executive Governor of Kaduna State necessitated our convening this Press Conference to call on the Fourth Estate of the Realm,  anti-corruption agencies, civil society organizations and well-meaning Nigerians to stand up against corruption and demand accountability to the people of Kaduna state who were made to carry the burden of debt  in the past are still carrying and would in future continue to suffer from the burden of debt left behind that has grounded the state to the point banckruptcy 

” We commend the Kaduna State House of Assembly for taking the bull by the horns in rising to the occasion by discharging its legislative responsibility of holding the Executive to account. The report  of the House of Assembly Committee has exposed the reckless abuse of power, gargantuan corruption, financial banditry, disregard for due process, and criminal wastage of state resources perpetrated by the erstwhile administration of Mal Nasir El-Rufai.”

According to the group ” The voluminous report, which is in public domain has left no stone unturned in revealing the financial scandal  that the administration was involved in. The report, among others, revealed that between May 2015 when the administration of Mal Nasir El-Rufai came to being to its exit in May 2013, the state has incurred a liability on domestic and foreign loans to the tune of N98,912,000,000.00 and $758,141,699 respectively, which were mostly obtained without regard to extant financial rules and due process and were mostly diverted for other uses other than those to which they were intended

” These frightening revelations revealed the kleptocracy that characterised the administration. It is sad and pathetic that some of these loans were obtained in the guise of settling the entitlements  tens of thousands of state employees wrongly disengaged by the state governor on the pretext of rationalization. Many of these terminated employees have died out of frustration while awaiting their  settlements. 

” We also hailed the patriotic spirit of the Speaker for ordering the investigation, and the committee saddled with the responsibility, for producing such a detailed and balanced report. We praise the impartiality of Governor Uba Sani for obeying his conscience and in being steadfast by refusing to interfere with the investigation of the Committee despite mounting pressure by elements from within and without.

“At this juncture, we strongly echo our call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)  and all relevant security agencies concerned to immediately act on the report by arresting and prosecuting  Mal Nasir El-Rufai and all his collaborators indicted by the report. 

” This will ensure justice for the over 14 million people of Kaduna State who had been made to suffer eight years misrule, untold hardship and frustration under a regime that is both vindictive and kleptocratic and virtually converted the state into a private property for the convenience of family and friends.  Kaduna must have justice without delay as justice delayed is justice denied.” the group added.