By DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA — Preliminary reports of investigation into the financial activities of the immediate-past transition committee chairmen by Ogun State auditors have indicted some of them in financial scandal running into several millions of naira.
Vanguard reliably gathered that Governor Ibikunle Amosun had ordered the probe of the former transition chairmen few days after the swearing in of their successors.
A member in the team of the auditors, who pleaded anonymity, told Vanguard that some of them allegedly embezzled millions of naira on dubious and non-existent projects.
According to the source, the immediate past transition chairman of Obafemi Owode Local Government, Alhaji Jamiu Balogun, allegedly looted N10 million in a very suspicious manner while in office.
It was gathered that alleged discrepancies were noticed in the account of Obafemi Owode Local Government which reportedly forced the auditors to embark on verification of receipts and claims by the last administration in the council.
The source added that the Audit Committee, after investigation, discovered forged receipts through which 10 projects were funded.
The receipts, it was gathered, were mostly not original and that the amount was about N10 million.
Further investigation also revealed that the committee could not find some addresses quoted on other receipts as they were said to be not-existing.
The owner of the company through which the scandal was allegedly perpetrated Sola Bakare of Sholebo Art Studio told Vanguard that he knew noting about the contract and that he approached the local government to seek for contract but the offer was turned down.
Bakare said he was shocked when the receipts were presented before him by the state auditors who said the contract was under probe.
According to him, "I had noticed missing receipts in my office since May last year, but I did not take it seriously, only to find out that same were used to loot huge money from the local government."
Bakare, however, called on the appropriate authorities to unravel the mysery in the alleged scam, adding that he was ready to go to court should the government fail to produce the person behind the receipt forgery.
It was, however, gathered that the report has been submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practice and other related Offences Commission ICPC, for further investigation and appropriate sanction.
Vanguard Nigeria
This is getting so rampant its almost a normal thing for anybody in office would embezzle money.....just a sad thing 4 nigeria