N109bn Fraud: How Suspended AGF Idris, Compromised TSA, GIFMIS, IPPIS, For Personal Gains

Fresh facts have emerged on how former suspended Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris compromised the Treasury Single Account, TSA, Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, GIFMIS, Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system, IPPIS, and carted away billions of naira belonging to the government.

Idris and his co-defendants: Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman are standing trial in a N109 billion fraud before Justice A. O. Adeyemi Ajayi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, FCT,  Maitama,  Abuja.

 At the resumed trial of the case on Thursday,  July 28, 2022 ,  Chief Investigative Officer of the case and Prosecution Witness One , PW1,   Chief Superintendent of the EFCC , CSE Hayatu Sulaiman Ahmed, while being led in  evidence by the prosecuting counsel,  Rotimi Jacobs SAN, told the court that the investigations by the EFCC showed that,  Idris while in office,  compromised key units under his care like the TSA,  GIFMIS and IPPIS that led to loss of funds by the government.  Idris allegedly  used the funds in constructing properties like the Gezawa Exchange Limited, Gezawa Integrated Farms, and Kano City Mall.

“.. We had cause to invite several individuals who had transactions with the Gezawa Commodity and Exchange Limited and found one Baita Ibrahim Kura of B I Kura Ibrahim, a Bureau de Change,  BDC,  operator based in Kano. We invited him and cautioned him and he voluntarily wrote a statement, claiming he made several payments like N208 million  into Gezawa Commodity Market with Jaiz bank”, he said.

The witness further told the court that Ibrahim also admitted to have paid the sum of N866 million  to one Architect Mustapha Mukhtar of Marsc Construction Limited for the construction of Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange limited.

 “My Lord,   investigation showed that, Ibrahim  received  United States dollars from the first defendant.   We also found out  that  agitation from the nine oil producing states, regarding derivation from the excess crude account,   was tabled before the Federal  Account Allocation Committee, FAAC and the committee came up with a figure of about $2.2 billion  as what was due to the nine oil producing states, and these amount was to be deducted over a 60 months period on quarterly basis”, he said.

The witness further told the court that 11.5% of this figure amounting  to N44.7 billion  was put aside as payments to some public officials to facilitate payments to the  oil producing states.