Five members of the Katsina State Board of Internal Revenue have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Command, on suspicion of embezzling N1,294,337,676.53 intended for the state government.
After the Katsina State Government filed a plea, the suspects—who were identified as Rabiu Abdullahi, Sanusi Mohammed Yaro, Ibrahim M. Kofar Soro, Ibrahim Aliyu, and Nura Lawal Kofar Sauri—were arrested.
According to the petition, the officials colluded to embezzle money from international health organizations, such as the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), Médecins Sans Frontières, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Rabiu Abdullahi, the current Permanent Secretary of the Board and a former Director of Collections, allegedly approved the opening of a bank account under the name “BOIRS” at Sterling Bank. , the EFCC revealed in a statement.
“The only signatories to the account were Ibrahim M. Kofar Soro and Sanusi Mohammed Yaro, who was named Director of Revenue Account by Rabiu Abdullahi. The EFCC disclosed that this account was used as a means of transferring money to a business that belonged to Nura Lawal Kofar Sauri.
The EFCC claims that Nura Lawal, an Assistant Director in Career Skills and Staff Welfare, laundered the stolen money through his business, NADIKKO General Suppliers, and then disbursed it among the defendants’ several accounts.
The statement further stated that “the laundered funds were traced to several bank accounts linked to the suspects.”
The accused are presently being held at the EFCC’s Kano Zonal Command, the agency revealed.
The investigation is ongoing, and the suspects will be charged to court as soon as it is concluded,” EFCC stated.