I’ve Buhari’s mandate to investigate stamp duties accounts – Kazaure

Gudaji Kazaure, a member of the House of Representatives from Jigawa state, has claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari secretly set up the committee on the reconciliation and recovery of all stamp duties.

In a media briefing on Sunday, Kazure said only the president could dissolve the committee in which he allegedly functions as secretary.

He said the president gave the committee the power to detain anyone indicted in the N89.09 trillion “stamp duty cover-up”.

Garba Shehu, presidential spokesperson, had, on Saturday, debunked Kazure’s N89 trillion missing funds claim, adding that it was “ludicrous that a member of the parliament would claim to be secretary of an executive committee”.

Shehu also said Buhari had since dissolved the committee Kazaure was claiming to be the secretary to, but noted that there is another committee, chaired by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, set up in June 2020 by the president, which is still executing the task of reconciling stamp duties accounts.

But at the news conference on Sunday, Kazaure insisted that his committee must be allowed to present its report to Buhari.

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“When I raised an alarm that this man (Godwin Emefiele) should not be reappointed as CBN governor because I have some documents that I take to Mr. President directly of almost eight hundred million pounds to investigate how the money came from HSBC bank,” Kazaure explained.

“Mr. President is one man that when you take a matter to him, he will ask you if what you are saying is the truth between you and Allah. Mr. President appointed this man because some people around him are not telling him the truth.

“He (Buhari) gave me the power, gave the committee [the] power to remove the CBN governor, investigate him and detain him to ensure all this money is recovered into the federal government account.

Kazaure claimed that the committee compelled Emefiele to honour the committee’s invitation through a letter written by the Department of State Services (DSS).

He said the CBN governor was detained for four hours until he was released on administrative bail.

Kazaure added that if the money is recovered, it would help the federal government to pay off its debts, finance the budget, and meet other financial obligations without resorting to borrowing.

Meanwhile, in the interim report made available to journalists, the committee recommended the suspension of the CBN Governor.

Kazaure said the committee has flagged the funds ($171.0 billion) in CBN’s private investors’ account.

It also flagged funds recycled as loans to some banks, N13 trillion; and funds “recycled as FMDQ debt to FGN: N23.3 Trillion”.