A row has broken out between a
former governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Mamuda Shinkafi, and a former Minister
of State for Finance under the Jonathan regime, Alhaji Bashir Yuguda, over the
disbursement of the state’s share of the N450 million from the N24 billion
campaign money, allegedly given by a former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison
Madueke, to prosecute the 2015 polls.
Yuguda had reportedly told
operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that Shinkafi
got N15 million from the money but the former governor disputed the claim,
insisting that he was merely told of the money but did not receive it. Diezani
Alison-MaduekeDiezani Alison-Madueke .
The former Finance Minister said, in
writing to the EFCC that the former Secretary to the Zamfara State Government,
Aminu Ahmed Nasiha, and one Alhaji Mallaha signed for the money which was
shared in his (Yuguda’s) house.
However, when Shinkafi and Nasiha
were summoned to the Zonal Office of the EFCC in Kano, yesterday, they denied
the former Minister’s position and pleaded with the commission to free them.
The two men were, however, being
detained by the EFCC in Kano as of the time of this report and it was unclear
if they would be granted bail at the weekend.
The former SSG admitted that he got
N2 million as against the N5 million claimed by Yuguda and told the EFCC that
he had since refunded the cash.
EFCC was trying to establish how
much each of the suspects may have collected with a view to taking steps to
retrieve the money.
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Politics