National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Olabode Adaramola
Niger state government has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to declare former deputy governorship candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general elections, Hon. Isah Liman Kantigi wanted after over N6 billion belonging to the state government has been linked to him.
The state Commissioner for Information , Culture and Tourism, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa made the call on Sunday in a Press statement made available to newsmen in Minna the state capital, adding that Hon. Kantigi, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs , cannot deny knowledge of the fresh N2 billion said to have been traced to an account at the United Bank for Africa(UBA) by the anti-grant agency.
EFCC had last Thursday, announced that another N2 billion had been traced to the erstwhile Chairman, Edati Local Government of the state in a UBA account after the initial N4 billion was also said to have been traced to Kantigi’s two accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) few days earlier.
“We commend the EFCC, but we know Kantigi has been elusive. We know he is on the run. We want him declared wanted by the anti -graft agency. He should appear and tell Nigerians how and where he got the money. The N6 billion recovered so far belongs to the Niger state government.
“Governor Abubakar Sani Bello had on Friday told the agency that the funds belong to the state. We hope that the recovered N6 billion would be transferred to the state’s accounts to enable this administration embark on meaningful developmental projects”, said Vatsa .
The statement reads in part “we can tell you that the funds were siphoned from the local government joint account of Niger state and also through inflated Hajj subsidies offered by the immediate past state government to Pilgrims within the periods he served as the Chairman, Niger state Pilgrims agency”
