Protesters Storm Kaduna Govt House, Demand El-Rufai’s Arrest, Prosecution Over Alleged Corruption 

John Shiklam in Kaduna

Hundreds of protesters, under the umbrella of Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance (KCWGG), on Thursday, marched to the Government House, Kaduna, demanding the investigation and prosecution of ex-governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for alleged corruption.

A report by an ad hoc committee set up by the state House of Assembly to investigate loans, financial transactions and contractual liabilities, had indicted El-Rufai’s eight-year administration for allegedly siphoning N423 billion.

The House also alleged that most of the loans obtained under the El-Rufai’s government were not used for the purpose for which they were obtained, while in some cases, due process was not followed in securing the loans.

The House had recommended that the former governor and some other indicted members of his cabinet be investigated and prosecuted by anti-corruption agencies for abuse of office.

El-Rufai had however dismissed the report, saying he served Kaduna State with integrity and to the best of his capacity.

“This jaundiced probe should be disregarded as the politically motivated hatchet job it is,” the former governor had said in a statement.

However, protesters who trekked from UTC Bus Stop, along Ali Akilu Road, to the Government House, carried placards and sang solidarity songs.

They condemned the alleged financial mismanagement, abuse of power and the huge debt burden left by the El-Rufai administration.

Some of the inscriptions read: “We will occupy all MDAs to chase out all indicted persons in the report”, “Stop servicing  loans that did not follow due process before they were obtained”, “Jimi Lawal almost killed Kaduna State the way he killed a bank some years ago”.

Addressing journalists at the Government House gate, Victor Duniya, chairman of the group, said Kaduna State had endured financial mismanagement, abuse of power, and a huge debt burden in the past eight years.

Quoting the report of the ad hoc committee of the House of Assembly, he said: “The most troubling finding was the diversion of N10.5 billion meant for pastoral nomadism and the construction of the Milk Industry at Damau, Kubau LGA and for the construction of Galaxy Mall, Kaduna.

“Additionally, the report uncovered overpayments to contractors, payments to unregistered companies, and funds disbursed for work not completed, amounting to over N36.3 billion.

“The report also revealed large sums of money withdrawn from the state treasury without proper documentation of its usage.

“Furthermore, an expenditure of over N11 billion on a non-existent BRT transportation scheme was documented with no evidence to support it.”

Duniya said rather than feeling remorseful, “El-Rufai in his characteristic manner, gathered members of his well-fed family to Sallah feast where he tacitly called on them in Hausa language to bring down the government of Senator Uba Sani, which we believe is as a result of the sin of allowing the legislative arm of government to work for the first time in over eight years.

“As concerned citizens, we condemn in the strongest terms possible the outright and merciless looting of our state, which has widened the poverty gap in the state by the immediate past administration.”

The group commended Sani “for holding on to the ideals of the democracy he worked for by not interfering in the activities of the Kaduna State House of Assembly”.

Duniya urged the governor to implement relevant sections of the report that fall under his purview.

“We call on the governor to officially forward the findings of the committee report to relevant anti-corruption agencies to enable them to swing into action and recover our resources,” he added.

Duniya was later invited into the Government House to represent the protesters at  a closed-door meeting with Hadiza Balarabe, the deputy governor, and some top government officials