Budget-Padding Tracker: Dogara, others to appear before police panel on Friday

Yakubu Dogara

As the budget padding scandal continues to rock the House of Representatives, the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has constituted a five-man special team to investigate the allegations of budget padding against the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, and other principal officers of the House.

The Special Investigative Panel (SIP) led by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Amodu Ali, had on Tuesday, held its preliminary session with the former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmummin Jibrin, who had made the accusations against Dogara and others.

Dogara, Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun, Chief Whip Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, will appear before the special panel on Friday.

According to The Nation, who spoke to police officer privy to the matter, Jibrin had “furnished the SIP with vital information and a heap of documents.”

The source said,  “We have commenced full investigation into the N284billion budget padding in the House of Representatives based on a petition from Hon. Jibrin.

”A Special Investigative Panel (SIP), with a crack detective, AIG Amodu Ali as the chairman, is the one saddled with the responsibility of looking into the allegations in the petition. The same Ali uncovered the lid on the $620,000 bribery scam in the House for which a former Chairman of the House Committee on Fuel Subsidy Management, Mallam Farouk Lawan, and the Clerk of the committee, Mr. Boniface Emenalo were indicted. The case is in court.

“You will recall that Ali was deeply involved in the investigation of the $180million Halliburton scam. So, the SIP is led by an officer who is tested.”

Speaking on the preliminary work done by the SIP, the police officer said, “As I am talking to you (4pm yesterday), a letter of invitation has been addressed and sent to the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Chief Whip and the Minority Leader.

“They will be interrogated by the SIP on Friday. As a prelude to the invitation of the principal officers, the SIP chairman and members had a session with Jibrin on Tuesday.

“It was not a grilling session. But Jibrin furnished the team with vital information and a heap of documents to back up the petition he submitted on Monday.

“We are going into the merit or otherwise of the petition on Friday by inviting Dogara and three others. It is going to be a gradual thing but we will crack the padding controversy.”

 

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