Secretary General of 19 Northern States Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Sunday Oibe, has asked the Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, and the House of Assembly to transfer the file of foreign and local debts under former Governor Nasir el-Rufai to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for forensic investigation.
According to him, the Kaduna lawmakers may lack the capacity and tools, as well as other factors to conduct an in-depth probe of the debts and other financial deals under his tenure.
Oibe, who doubles as Chairman of North-West CAN, said in an interview in Kaduna, yesterday: “I am aware that the Kaduna House of Assembly has taken over the investigation of el-Rufai’s tenure in the state. But one thing we do not know is whether it can do forensic investigation on el-Rufai’s debts and other financial activities in the state during his tenure in office. They can do the political investigation. However, the proper forensic probe must be left to EFCC to handle.”
He advised Sani to lodge a formal complaint to EFCC, which has the instrumentality for forensic investigation of the huge debts left by el-Rufai and other financial activities.
“One of the things people do not know is that money is the easiest thing to trace. If EFCC is brought on board, they will trace all the money and what has happened to them. I do not know the capacity of the lawmakers, as politicians, to carry out forensic investigation on this problem facing the state, considering religious, ethnic and party factors.
“What is the level of their political will to follow this matter to the end? If they are willing to forget the issue of politicking and party affiliation, they should be able to deliver their responsibilities to the Kaduna people. Anyway, we are yet to see the mystery that would be unravelled concerning what el-Rufai has done,” he stressed.
On the investigation of the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, he commended the bold step the anti-graft commission took to bring him to justice.
Oibe warned those protesting over Bello’s investigation to consider the years of suffering and hardship he plunged the people and the state into.
