‘N11bn stolen between 2011 and 2019’ — Kwara receives audit report on state treasury

The Kwara government says the report of a forensic audit on the state’s treasury between 2011 and 2019 has revealed that N11.9 billion was “stolen” within the period under review.

Abdulfatah Ahmed was governor of Kwara state between 2011 and 2019.

According to a statement by Rafiu Ajakaye, spokesperson to the Kwara governor, Anthony Iniomoh, partner at SSAC and Professionals, a consulting firm, announced the figure on Thursday while submitting the report to the state.

According to Iniomoh, the audit report also showed that there was N2 billion cash withdrawal, which was not tied to any official expenditure, from the state’s coffers within eight days in February 2019.

He said the audit report is in two volumes — covering internally generated revenue, capital receipts, internal and external loans, recurrent/overhead expenditure, personnel cost (salaries and wages), capital expenditure, assets disposed, among others.

“A few highlights of our findings may be necessary for the record. Our forensic audit revealed a colossal pilfering of N11,981,268,709 which we recommended should be recovered to the public coffers,” Iniomoh was quoted as saying.

“Similarly, we recommended to the state government to prosecute certain officers and companies, in addition to claiming exemplary damages on transactions totalling N6,023,358,444, amongst other key findings.

“This is especially so in the cases of firms that we observed were paid huge public funds without any evidence of work done on record.

“In one instance, records show that a firm that was incorporated at the Corporate Affairs Commission on 14th June, 2016, was paid by the state government for a contract it purportedly executed for the state in April of the same year. It became apparent that this was a preconceived attempt to defraud the state.

“There was an instance of a public officer getting paid at two different places for years, which is a clear breach of the law.

“Other infractions arising as a result of obvious conflict of interest and violation of due process were also spotlighted for the government to draw up new policy instruments to prevent such in the future.

“There was also a cash withdrawal within 8 days of N2.06 billion in February 2019, which was of interest to the audit. However, no documentation was made available to validate the purpose for which the money was withdrawn.

“There were also several other cash withdrawals within the state over the period running into billions of naira which we could not validate.”

Commenting on the report, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, governor of Kwara, said the revelations are “disturbing but hardly surprising”, adding that the state government will look into the recommendations.

“Your report, like others, will help us to steadily put the state in the right direction to deepen transparency and accountability,” he said.

“We will go through the report fully and look into your recommendations.

“The few things you said are mind-boggling, especially withdrawing cash of over N2 billion, a month to the election, and all sorts of infractions that took place. Certainly, we shall progress from here and do the needful.”

Meanwhile, the development comes months after the former governor was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to answer questions over alleged fraud.