By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Group of indigenous people of Kaduna state representing the 23 local government areas have called on all the anti-craft bodies and relevant security agencies to immediately act on the State House of Assembly ad hoc committee report by arresting and prosecuting Mal Nasir El-Rufai and all his collaborators indicted by the report.
The group, known as Kaduna K-23 Movement, made the assertions Wednesday at a press conference held at Kaduna state council of Nigerian Union of journalists, NUJ, premises by their President and General Secretary, Comrade Bashir Bello, and Amb Idris Musa respectively.
They stated that the call has became imperative to ensure justice for the over 14 million people of Kaduna State who have been made to suffer eight years misrule, untold hardship and frustration under a regime that “is both vindictive and cleptocratic and virtually converted the state into a private property for the convenience of family and friends.
“At this juncture, we strongly echo our call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and all relevant security agencies concerned to immediately act on the report by arresting and prosecuting Mal Nasir El-Rufai and all his collaborators indicted by the report.
“This will ensure justice for the over 14 million people of Kaduna State who had been made to suffer eight years misrule, untold hardship and frustration under a regime that is both vindictive and kleptocratic and virtually converted the state into a private property for the convenience of family and friends. Kaduna must have justice without delay as justice delayed is justice denied”, they added.
Titled: “Mal Nasir El-Rufai Must Be Prosecuted For The Monumental Corruption Charges Levelled Against His Administration being text of a Press Conference organised by the Kaduna K-23 Movement held on Wednesday”, it added that the accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently their own indifference.
Earlier, the group noted that the “Recent mind- bogging revelations of monumental corruption perpetrated by Mal-Nasir El-Rufai during his 8-year stint as the Executive Governor of Kaduna State necessitated our convening this Press Conference.
“To call on the Fourth Estate of the Realm, anti-corruption agencies, civil society organizations and well-meaning Nigerians to stand up against corruption and demand accountability to the people of Kaduna state who were made to carry the burden of debt in the past and are still carrying and would in future continue to suffer from the burden of debt left behind that has grounded the state to the point of bankruptcy.
“We commend the Kaduna State House of Assembly for taking the bull by the horns in rising to the occasion by discharging its legislative responsibility of holding the Executive to account.
“The report of the House of Assembly Committee has exposed the reckless abuse of power, gargantuan corruption, financial banditry, disregard for due process, and criminal wastage of state resources perpetrated by the erstwhile administration of Mal. Nasir El-Rufai.
“The voluminous report, which is in public domain has left no stone unturned in revealing the financial scandal that the administration was involved in.
“The report, among others, revealed that between May 2015, when the administration of Mal. Nasir El-Rufai came to its exit in May 2013, the state has incurred a liability on domestic and foreign loans to the tune of N98,912,000,000.00 and $758,141,699 respectively, which were mostly obtained without regard to extant financial rules and due process and were mostly diverted for other uses other than those to which they were intended.
“These frightening revelations revealed the cleptocracy that characterised the administration. It is sad and pathetic that some of these loans were obtained in the guise of settling the entitlements tens of thousands of state employees wrongly disengaged by the state governor on the pretext of rationalization.
“Many of these terminated employees have died out of frustration while awaiting their settlements. We also hailed the patriotic spirit of the Speaker for ordering the investigation, and the committee saddled with the responsibility for producing such a detailed and balanced report.
“We praise the impartiality of Governor Uba Sani for obeying his conscience and in being steadfast by refusing to interfere with the investigation of the Committee despite mounting pressure by elements from within and without”, they said.
