Facts have emerged of how Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State misused security funds to finance his personal gold mining interests and pay off notorious bandits.
A leaked memo reveals that a substantial amount of money was approved to finance a reconciliation project, totalling over one billion Naira.
However, sources claim that the funds were used to settle bandits and finance gold extraction in a newly discovered large gold deposit.
The former Chairman of the Zamfara State Security Trust Fund, MD Abubakar, was sacked after he allegedly refused to comply with the governor’s scheme.
Abubakar had written a memo requesting funds to procure patrol vehicles and logistics for community protection guards, but was rejected by the governor.
Sources close to the matter reveal that Governor Lawal held a meeting with commissioners to increase the state budget to meet the demands of bandits and finance gold extraction.
According to the Gov’s media aide, Nuhu Salihu Anka, MD Abubakar has been spending the Security Trust Funds on irrelevant and unnecessary travels, including foreign trips without the governor’s approval.
But other sources claim that one billion naira was allegedly withdrawn from the ex-IGP’s office to settle some wanted bandits kingpins, in order to allow Governor Dauda Lawal to extract gold and settle some media promoters to divert Nigerian attention from the just concluded #Endbadgovernance protests, which resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of properties worth billions of Naira.
A source at the office of the former IGP (whose name was withheld) confirmed that he wrote a memo entitled: ‘Urgent Need to Use Trust Funds to Procure Patrol Vehicles and Other Logistics’ to support community protection guards amounting to N800, 000,000, which was also rejected by the governor, further infuriating the former IGP.
The source further said that another conflict arose between the governor and the former IGP emanating from a meeting the governor held with the Commissioners for local government and chieftaincy, that of Budget and planning, as well as finance, Alhaji Ahmed Yamdi, Abdulmalik Gajam, and Bello Auta respectively, as well as Prof Kabiru Mato, Barau, Modibbo, and the state Account General to increase the state budget to the tune of more than One billion Naira to meet the demand of some bandits to allow the governor to continue his gold extraction in a newly discovered large gold deposit in a forest near Dankurmi Under Maru Local government area of the State, and also finance some selected Media promoters to create significant divisions within the northern region.
Another revelation indicated that the former IGP was not happy with the way Governor Dauda not only declined the approval of his memo but also used the same memo for other missions with the Security Trust Funds Money without his knowledge.
It will be recalled that Governor Dauda Lawal has vowed to never negotiate with bandits, but unfortunately went back on his words and employed a controversial scheme by accepting the bandits’ demand to allow him to get access to the newly discovered large gold deposit sites in the State.
“I believe the dramatic sacking of the former IGP M.D Abubakar by Governor Dauda was connected to the disagreements between the former Police boss and Governor Dauda Lawal,” said the source who requested to remain unknown.
Further information gathered in the same scandal reveals that a hasty completion of Zamfara State Cargo airport by the government of Dauda Lawal was to bring in modern mining processing equipment from outside the country into the State, despite the banning of mining activities and declaring Zamfara as a “no-fly zone” State.
It will be recalled that the Zamfara state assembly refused to screen and confirm former IGP M.D Abubakar due to his bad records and mismanagement of public funds, which resulted in denying some house members their eight months salaries and allowances.
According to our reporter in Gusau, the members who protested against the appointment of M.D Abubakar alleged that the former police boss would not do the job but rather mismanage and divert public resources for his personal use.