EFCC Hands over 53 Tricycles Recovered from Contractor to Zamfara Govt

EFCC Hands over 53 Tricycles Recovered from Contractor to Zamfara Govt

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Sokoto Zonal Office, yesterday handed over 53 Keke NAPEP recovered from a contractor to Zamfara State Government.

EFCC Zonal Head, Mr. Abdullahi Lawal, stated this while handing over the tricycles. He explained that the items were part of one thousand pieces valued at N1.2 billion awarded for supply to the state by Kymco and Wadatto Limited but the contractor failed to supply all before the transition. He said the commission trailed the contractor and recovered 53 pieces.

He added that the recovery was possible as a result of painstaking and diligent investigation.

“As you are aware, the commission is carrying out a clinical investigation into the activities of the last administration. We want to assure you and the people of Zamfara State that the commission would not relent on its oars to prosecute anyone found culpable,” he said.

The EFCC boss added that several contractors who abandoned their projects after receiving billions of naira have mobilised back to sites in
the state for the fear of prosecution.

Lawal explained that since the commission started working at the zone in February this year, it has received over 200 petitions from government, private organisations and individuals.

He disclosed that the office was currently investigating over sixty cases from Zamfara State, involving over N200 billion, relating to the past administration.

“Several bank accounts connected to fraudulent activities in these regards in the course of investigation have been frozen by the commission,” he said.

Lawal called on contractors who have received payments and yet to commence, complete or hand over projects, to mobilise back to sites in their own interest as the commission would embark on project monitoring and evaluation in collaboration with experts from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing as well as the Council for the Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN), saying the jobs should also be standard.

Receiving the tricycles on behalf of Zamfara State, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Bala Bello Umaru, thanked EFCC for the recovery, adding that the tricycles would be distributed to the beneficiaries transparently with the supervision of EFCC.

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