An audit report has revealed that at least N1.86 billion was looted in Abia State by officials of the state government in 2023, allegation of diversion of funds which breached the various provisions of the state’s financial regulations and civil service rules
Penpushing reports that the 88-page report by the Auditor-General was released in May 2024, and titled, “Report of the Auditor-General for the State on the Financial Statements and Accounts of the Abia State Government of Nigeria for the year ended 31st December 2023.”
The report covered the period of one year- from January to December 2023, when Okezie Ikpeazu served as the governor of Abia State from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Penpushing further reports that the report, alleged fraud involved the award of contracts without due process, payments that circumvented due process, purchases that were not delivered, and funds that were insufficiently accounted for or unaccounted for.
The others include tax evasion, non-execution of awarded contracts, unvouched payments, unrecorded expenditures, payments made without evidence, and unremitted tax deductions, which tallied the figures for “suspicious expenditures” and “unaccounted funds” from the affected ministries, departments, and agencies to arrive at the total amount.
Penpushing also reports that some government institutions affected included various high and magistrate courts, the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, the state Ministry of Petroleum, and the Abia State Agency for Mass Literacy in Umuahia.
The others included Abia State Polytechnic Aba, colleges of education, and secondary schools, and of the N1.86 billion, a total of N1,782, 419,567 was either unaccounted for outright or paid without following due processes, the report stated.
Penpushing reports that a total of N79,461,000 was allegedly diverted into private accounts owned and operated by individuals working for the Abia State Government, with count of at least 54 transactions and payments which were queried in the audit report for various reasons, as earlier indicated in this report.
The report stated that the diversion of public funds into private accounts happened at the Abia State Ministry of Finance and the state’s Ministry of Petroleum, stating that N32,120,000 was transferred from the government treasury into the account of the then-permanent secretary of the finance ministry.
Penpushing further reports that in similar vein, the report said N5,720,000 was transferred into the account of a director of finance at the ministry, while the two suspicious transactions totalled N37,840,000.
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