FOUR LG CHAIRMEN ARE SUSPENDED BY JIGAWA ASSEMBLY DUE TO ALLEGED N942 MILLION MISAPPROPRIATION

Four local council chairmen have been charged with financial mismanagement by the Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs of the Jigawa State House of Assembly. The alleged misconduct involves a sum surpassing N942,033,814.

Speaker Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin presided over a plenary session during which the committee’s report exposed misbehavior discovered while performing oversight duties in each of the state’s 27 local government districts.

The four local government council chairs have been suspended by the Jigawa State House of Assembly.

The legislators unanimously decided to suspend the implicated chairmen, Muhammad Sani (Dutse), Bala Usman Chamo (Gumel), Ahmed Rufa’i (Ringim), and Alhaji Shehu Sule Udi (Auyo), under the direction of House Committee Chairman Aminu Zakari.

Allegations include illicit transactions, unapproved payments, and financial irregularities are detailed in the report.

Allegations were made against Rufa’i for allegedly embezzling more than N543.6 million, diverting money intended for environmental projects, and giving dubious payments to particular people.

Sani faced charges for allegedly paying without a voucher, while Chamo from Dutse faced suspension for allegedly participating in illicit transactions totaling N240,001,082.

Comparably, Udi was accused of financial malfeasance and administrative incompetence.

As indicated in the recommendations provided to the House, the committee recommended the chairmen’s indefinite suspension, pending additional investigations, in accordance with Jigawa State’s local government law.