How Buhari’s SGF looted N2.5bn North-east Committee fund, N100m spent to hold conference, N203m to clear weeds – (See Document)

Few hours after the Senate Ad hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-east uncovered fraud of N2.5billion allegedly perpetrated by the Presidential Initiative on the North-east (PINE) constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the reconstruction and rehabilitation of North-east destroyed by Boko Haram, details have emerged how the N2.5 billion was shared through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal.

The alleged fraud bothered on execution of non-existing contracts, overinflated contracts and outright misappropriation of funds.

A sum of N203,357,908.80 was paid into the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) account number 304,6159014, belonging to Josman Technologies Limited on March 29, 2016, purportedly for the removal “invasive plant species along river channels.”

Stakeholders from Yobe  state led by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Mohammed Lamin, however said  ‘no taipa grass was cleared in the state by any federal government agency. Also, claim on the clearing of invasive plants species around river banks in the state at N253million by PINE was equally countered by the commissioner and other stakeholders from the state in addition to the N422.5million he claimed was spent on provision of temporary shelter  (tents) to small families in the state.

N100 million was spent on what they termed PCNI Conference and Conference on Rebuilding of North east!

Isyours Investment Limited got paid five times in just one day – March 30, 2016 for supply of food items to Internally Displaced Persons camps (IDPs) in Borno. The payments were; N37,754,900, N9,355,750, N50,299,270, another N50,299,270 and another N37,754,900. The money was paid into the company’s Skye Bank account number 4090216786.

On rehabilitation of just two police stations, N178 million was spent. For the rehabilitation of police state in Gomb, Maha LGA in Adamawa State, Greenstone General Enterprise Limited got N97,630,694.41 through its Zenith Bank account number 1014071875 while JMT Global Technologies Limited got N80,710,360.62 for rehabilitation of police station in Kwambir, Adamawa State through Zenith Bank account number 1014367188.

Other companies through which the N2.5 billion was looted were; Dantex Nigeria Limited – N258,075,000 (supply of food items) paid to Zenith Bank account number 1010557708 and another N108 million, Lintex Nigeria Limited – N117 million (for temporary shelter) paid into Zenith Bank account number 1006128691.

Payments for consultancy went to Emmanuel Global Enterprises Limited, Prime Cost Engineering Consultants and Sahel Associates Consulting.

The alleged discovery of the fraud came at time women in most of the Internally Displaced Persons camps (IDPs), go thorough a huge discomfort while searching for sanitary pads.

The alleged fraud was discovered at a public hearing organised by the committee  in the National Assembly.

At the hearing, PINE couldn’t account for N2.5 billion it received for execution of intervention projects in the region.