Zamfara gov, Matawalle, moves to probe alleged looting of N107bn, bail out funds, banditry under Yari

The Zamfara State government is making moves to probe the alleged looting of N107 billion, banditry in the state and bailout funds taken by the last administration.

This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle who said that a Commission of Inquiry has been set up arising from the reports received from various committees.

In the statement issued through the Deputy Governor of the State, Barrister Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, Governor Matawalle said that the commission would look into the bailout funds collected during former governor Yari’s administration and the N107 billion missing as a result of various shoddy deals.

Governor Matawalle also added that his administration was determined to stem insecurity in his domain by making efforts to get to the roots of the problem of banditry and other related crimes.

He said; “I set up a committee under the chairmanship of the former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar. The Committee completed its assignment and submitted its report with extensive findings and recommendations.

“This Commission of Inquiry will work based on the findings of these committees. It will therefore address the issues raised by the Committee for finding solutions to banditry and the various issues of fraud, abuses and blatant disregard to due process in contracts execution as captured in the reports of the Projects Verification Committees

“Considering the weight of the issues raised by the various committees, especially the Committee for finding solutions to banditry, which is the most sensitive of all, it is the opinion of my administration that the report should be further x-rayed by this Commission so that the matters could be resolved firmly and decisively.

“I believe this will further consolidate the gains of my administration in fighting banditry and rebuilding the social and economic fabric of Zamfara State.

According to Governor Matawalle, the Commission was set up to put an end to impunity, tidy up government’s business and institute a proper mechanism for award and implementation of projects in the state.

“Let me also add that addressing the various issues raised by the reports of Projects Verification Committees will equally go a long way to strengthen the culture of transparency and accountability which are the watchwords of my administration.

“You may recall that I signed into law the bill for the establishment of Bureau for Public Procurement on 4th September 2020 as part of the institutional mechanism of ensuring transparent contract award process and implementation in the state. Our 2021 budget is also based on International Public Sector Accounting Standards, which will make us operate like any other transparent economy in the world,” he concluded.