Ex-Kogi Gov, Abubakar Audu's N11bn contract scam trial gets April 15 date

The trial of former Governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, who had been dragged to a Federal Capital Territory High Court by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), over an N11 billion scam scam has been fixed for April 15, 2015.

The court presided over by Justice A.O Adeniyi, affirmed that the ex-governor and a former Director General of the Directorate of Rural Development in the state, Alfa Ibn Mustapha, should be presented in court on the said date for the trial to commence.

The duo are being are being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency for offences bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds.

When the case came up for hearing on Thursday, April 2, 2015, Jabaru Olatunji, a prosecution witness told the court that several documents on the award of contracts to major contractors between 2000 and 2003 during Audu’s tenure as governor, were forged. 

Olatunji, a staff of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, who is also the eighth prosecution witness, while being led in evidence by counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court that he was part of a joint task force involving five security agencies that investigated the petition against Audu, alleging that he used his office to siphon the state government funds.

When asked about their findings during the said investigation, Olatunji told the court that at the office of the Accountant General of the State, they met one Dr. Shuaibu who made available documents detailing all the allocations to the State Government from May 2000 to April 2003.

According to him, the team was also furnished with detailed information into the fraud by one Dr. Ocheni of the Ministry of Works on the details of all the allocations, contracts awarded and payments made.

Analyses of these documents, according to the witness, revealed that three companies were major contractors. The companies are: Leoflench Nigeria Limited, Bulkom Nigeria Limited, Aresanmi Technical Industrial Limited and Pet-Tim Nigeria Limited.

"My Lord, investigations revealed that Leoflinch Nigeria Limited’s documents were forged by the second accused."

Another key officer, Kayode Ayodele, a geologist, said that he knew nothing about most of the contracts and that most of the documents and vouchers shown to him were forged.

In the course of investigation, Olatunji stated that one Mr. Olajire, an Accountant with the state government was invited, and he confirmed that most of the documents were forged and that he was ordered to approve most of the contracts.