Aideloje Ojo
27 November 2007
Minna — Former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Niger State Alhaji Umar Kawu was yesterday arrested by the police in Minna over the disputed N500m contract between the state and a foreign firm.
Besides the former AG, four other top functionaries of the past administration in the state were also quizzed by the police.
The N500m contract was awarded by the administration of former governor Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure to a foreign firm, which was contracted to verify and reconcile the state's foreign debt.
The state's current Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General Alhaji Usman Adamu, who spoke to newsmen after the last Executive Council meeting, said the state government under Kure also entered into an agreement that 15 per cent of the total amount the firm is able to save for the state would be paid to it.
But while the record of the state's finances inherited from the past administration showed that N280 million was paid to the firm for the job, which the current state government says
was not executed, the firm still went ahead and sued the state government, saying they have not been paid for the job.
Our correspondent gathered that the arrest of the former attorney general, who was also the chairman of the state's of tenders board under the Kure regime, was in connection with the development and the need for clarification over the money allegedly released but which did not get to the firm. Former Niger State Governor Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure was also sighted at the Criminal Investigation Department of the state police headquarters.
Niger State Police Public Relations Officer Mr. Richard Oguche, who confirmed the development to our correspondent yesterday, said the AG and the four others were invited for interrogation and are still in police custody.
According to him, "the AG and the other four collaborators whom I wont be able to give you their names at present are under police custody and are facing interrogation on conspiracy for fraud to the tune of N280 million." He admitted that the past governor was indeed at the police headquarters, but said Kure came "on his own volition" to visit some of his aides that were arrested.
A government official who also spoke with our correspondent confirmed the arrest of the past government officials, adding that the former governor was never invited by the police but was probably there to sympathise with those arrested.
According to the government official, "This is an era of rule of law, nobody is above the law and the arrest or questioning of the affected officials should not be a surprise to anybody. We believe the police will release them immediately after the conclusion of their investigation in the matter."
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