The Kwara State Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has detained 16 local government chairmen who were suspended by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for allegedly misappropriating N4bn loan and 10 percent of the state’s internally generated revenue.
The local government chairmen arrested on Friday included Risikat Opakunle, Saidu Yaru Musa, Umar Belle, Ayeni Dallas, Fatai Adeniyi Garba, Lah Abdulmumeen, Raliat Funmi Salau, Aminat Omodara, Muyiwa Oladipo.
Others are, Oladipo Omole, Abdullahi Abubakar Bata, Saka Eleyele, Lateef Gbadamosi, Oni Adebayo Joseph, Omokanye Joshua Olatunji and Jibril Salihu.
The EFCC in a statement signed by Head of its Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission gathered that the council chiefs, after securing the controversial loans, held a meeting and decided that N100m of it be shared among themselves.
According to the EFCC, the council bosses had, on the 7th of February 2018, written to the Ilorin branch manager of Sterling Bank requesting a N4bn loan in order to pay the salary arrears of the State Universal Basic Education Board teachers, local government staff and the local government pensioners, while the provisions for N100m for council chairmen were not appropriated in the request.
It alleged that the council chiefs were also accused of diverting monthly 10 percent of the internally generated revenue for their personal use, which was paid directly into their personal accounts.
The EFCC said that all the suspects, while undergoing interrogation by the operatives of the Commission, admitted that N100m was shared from the loan and that they also received 10 percent of the internally generated revenue.
The statement added, “The council bosses are now pleading with the EFCC to give them some time that they would pay back what they had benefited from government’s money.”
The EFCC said the politicians were still being held in custody and might spend the weekend there.
It said they would be charged to court after the investigations had been concluded.