Alleged N11.9bn Stolen Funds: Former Kwara Governor Fires Back At AbdulRazaq Forensic Audits

A former governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, on Thursday reacted to a forensic audit report alleging that the sum of N11.9 billion was stolen from the treasury of Kwara State under his watch.

Afrika Eyes has earlier reported that N11.9bn of public funds was carted away without any lawful tie to any project or programme between 2011 and 2019 when Ahmed was a Governor.

In a statement released on Thursday by his spokesman Wahab Oba, said the allegation levied against the former Governor is preposterous, naive unspecific and generally unfounded.

“Every expenditure during the period under review was properly appropriated and followed due process. If there were infractions as alleged, there are laid down procedures for correction.”

According to Dr Ahmed, “since we left office more than three years ago, the accounts have been properly audited by various auditing agencies and had been certified. Any query now, six months to the election, on the legality or otherwise of the expenditure, are afterthought and politically motivated.

Mr Ahmed called on Governor AbdulRazaq to account for how his administration spent N.3trillion accruing to it in the last three years without commensurate infrastructural development.

He said the debt profile of this government is unprecedented in the history of Kwara State. As of today, Kwara State is paying not less than N1.3 Billion monthly as interest on various largely unaccounted-for loans.

He, however, challenged Governor AbdulRazaq to tell Kwarans when last he held a State Executive Council meeting to approve various contracts and other expenditures.