Shocking details emerged Friday of how Jigawa State
governor, Sule Lamido, allegedly connived with two of his
sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido, to allegedly defraud the
state government of over N10billion.
A national daily has obtained disturbing details of how huge
sums of money belonging to Jigawa state were moved in and
out of 34 bank accounts of nine companies linked to the
governor's family members.
Between June 2010 and August 2013, for instance, over
N1.5billion was paid into an account in Skye Bank belonging
to Bamaina Aluminium Limited, a company which has
Governor Lamido and his two sons as directors.
During the period, Mustapha Lamido, who is a signatory,
made multiple lodgments into the account from the Jigawa
State government account.
Similarly, Bamaina Holdings Limited, whose account with
Unity Bank has Governor Lamido as sole signatory, recorded
total cash lodgments of over N1.19billion between February
2007 and July 2013, out of which about N1billion was, at
various times during the period, paid out to other sister
companies.
Equally, Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited, which has the
governor, his two sons and one other person as directors, has
another bank account with Mustapha as sole signatory.
Between January 2010 and July 2013, over N500million
withdrawals were made from the account, mostly by
Mustapha.
Although registration documents did not link Rawda
Integrated Services Limited to any known member of the
Lamido family, the company's account details with Access
Bank showed that it was operated by Mustapha and one other
person.
Between December 2008 and April 2009, over N32million
was paid by the Jigawa State government into the account,
which made several payments totaling over N50million to
another company, Speeds International Limited, which has the
governor and his two sons as directors.
Another account belonging to Rawda Integrated Services
Limited in First City Monument Bank, FCMB, has a different
signatory, with records of huge cash lodgments of over
N2.6billion and several staggering withdrawals within two
years.
Rawda also has another account in Zenith Bank, with
Mustapha as signatory, with over N1.1billion paid in by
different individuals and organizations between January 2007
and May 2013.
For Speeds International Limited, its account with Access
Bank, with Mustapha as its sole signatory, received total
deposits of over N2.2billion between January 2007 and
February 2010. This is apart from a dollar account it also
maintains, which has total lodgments of over $346,700.
Saby Integrated Nigeria Limited is the another company
owned by the Lamidos, with Aminu Lamido as the sole
signatory to its account with Fidelity Bank. Investigators said
a total of over N600million was lodged into the account from
several Jigawa State government establishments between July
2010 and November 2012.
Some of the payments made into the account at different times
included over N84million, over N300million, over
N60million, over N48million and over N93million, while
between January 2010 and August 2013 over N730million
were paid into the account, 95 per cent of which were by
different Jigawa State government institutions.
Investigations into the activities of the other companies are
ongoing, although it was gathered that the cumulative
turnover of the family business could be as high as over
N10billion.
Efforts to reach the Lamidos were unsuccessful. Telephone
calls and text messages from reporters to Umar Kyari,
Governor Lamido's spokesperson were unanswered.
Via: Premium Times
