EFCC arrests Accountant-General, Idris, over N80bn ‘fraud’
The operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arrested the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, over alleged money laundering and diversion of public funds.
The Accountant-General was said to have been arrested on his way to Kano.
Idris was said to have failed to honour several invitations by the anti-corruption agency.
The EFCC, on its Facebook account yesterday, stated that its operatives arrested the Accountant-General “in connection with diversion of funds and money laundering activities to the tune of N80 billion (eighty billion naira) only.
“The commission’s verified intelligence showed that the AGF raked off the funds through bogus consultancies and other illegal activities using proxies, family members and close associates.
“The funds were laundered through real estate investments in Kano and Abuja.
“Mr Idris was arrested after failing to honour invitations by the EFCC to respond to issues connected to the fraudulent acts.”
An EFCC official told Daily Trust that the AccountantGeneral was being interrogated at the headquarters of the commission as of the time of filing this report.
The spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, did not respond to phone calls by our correspondent seeking further comment on the issue.
However, credible sources told the Daily Trust last night that there were many petitions against Idris bothering on illegal selfenrichment.
“There is controversy around the construction of the Gezawa Commodity Market in Kano which has to do with his office… In fact, there are many other infractions and as you can see, the government is just fed up and that is why nobody cares when the EFCC went after him.
“He bought many properties in Kano and environs without any fear even though it is glaring that the assets were beyond his legitimate earnings. He is extremely powerful as evident in the way some people in Kano were using the media at his instance to promote him,” the source said.