N522bn loan: EFCC speaks on alleged indictment of Saraki, Governors

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has denied that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and some state governors have been indicted in the ongoing probe of spending of the N522bn Paris Club loan refund.

EFCC yesterday reacted to the speculations in a statement by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren.

“The commission wishes to state unequivocally, that no state governor or the Senate President has been indicted so far by the investigation which is still at a preliminary stage.

“Also, insinuations about a cover-up by some officials of the commission are untrue as there is no incentive to do so.

“The commission implores the media to be circumspect in the reportage of this delicate issue in order not to jeopardise ongoing investigation, and be assured that they would be fully briefed of developments as soon as a breakthrough is achieved.”

The Federal Government had in December, 2016, approved N522.74 bn to be paid to the 36 states as part of the reimbursement for the over-deductions on the loan.

State governments had submitted their claims of over-deductions for external debt servicing arising between 1995 and 2002 to the federal government due to the first line charge deductions from the federal allocations.

FG started sharing the money to states in December 2016 but as of January, only N388bn had been released.

Breakdown shows that Rivers, Lagos, Katsina, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states received N14.5bn each while Imo, Niger, Jigawa and Borno states received about N13bn each.

Yobe, Plateau, Ogun, Abia and Zamfara states were said to have received N10bn each while Sokoto, Osun, Kogi, Kebbi, Edo, Cross River and Anambra states got about N11bn each.

Benue and Bauchi states reportedly got about N12bn each.

Other states are Ebonyi, N3.3bn; Adamawa, N4.8bn; Gombe, N8.3bn; Ekiti, N8.8bn; Enugu, N9.9bn; Kwara, N5.4bn; Ondo, N6.5bn; Nasarawa, N8.4bn; Ondo, N6.5bn; Taraba, N4.2bn; and Oyo, N7.2bn.

However, many of the states claimed to have used their portions to settle the backlog of salaries and some state-owned debts.

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