EFCC Grills INEC Officials in Zamfara

The Sokoto State Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the Administrative Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Zamfara State, Hassan Sidi Aliyu; Head of Operations, Hussain Jafar; Accountant, Abdullahi Yusuf Abubakar and another official of the electoral body in Zamfara State, Abdulmumin Usman, for an alleged conspiracy, breach of trust and criminal diversion of ad hoc staff allowance to the tune of N84,696,000.

The petitioner, one Abdullahi Nasiru, who wrote on behalf of all presiding officers that worked for INEC during the 2019 presidential and gubernatorial elections in Zamfara State, alleged that the Ad-hoc staff were denied payment of their N6,000 movement allowance each for the two elections.

The commission allegedly paid its staff the sum of N9,000 in Zamfara while in other states like Sokoto State, the commission paid N12,000.

Investigation by the EFCC revealed that none of the 10,500 presiding officers who participated in the elections were paid their entitlements commutatively put at N84,696,000.

Effort is being made by the commission to recover the money criminally diverted by the three INEC heads of department and Electoral Officers of the 14 local governments in Zamfara State namely; Abdullahi Sambawa, Zurmi LGA; Aliyu Jafaru Goronyo, Maradun LGA; Balarabe Ahmed S Gobir, Gummi LGA; Amadu Ibrahim, Gusau LGA; Mohammed Bashir Musa, Kaura Namoda LGA; Dalhatu Usman Musa,Birnin Magaji LGA; Abdulmumin Usman, Maru LGA; Muhammad

Nasir Saidu, Talatu Mafara LGA; Abdullahi A. Ukashatu, Tsafe LGA; Tukur Garba Kaita, Bungudu LGA; Salihu Musa Abdullahi, Bukuyun LGA; Sadiq Abdullahi, Fari Anka LGA; Lawali Muhammed, Argungu Bakura LGA; Jafaru Gide, Shinkafi LGA; Tanimu Muhammad, Shinkafi LGA; Hassan Abdullahi,Shinkafi LGA.

According to EFCC, the suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as investigation is completed.