The Niger State Government has asked Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to declare former commissioner in the state, Liman Kantigi, wanted, for his involvement in N6 billion discovered by the anti-graft commission in accounts of a former public official.
The call came barely 24 hours after Kantigi, a former Democratic Party deputy governorship candidate, denied his involvement in the N2 billion account allegedly linked to him.
The state government made the call on Sunday in a press statement signed by the State Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Vatsa, saying Kantigi should be declared wanted after N6 billion was linked to him by EFCC.
Vatsa argued that the ex-commissioner cannot deny N2 billion found in his bank account, saying, we commend the EFCC, but we know Kantigi has been elusive. We know he is on the run. We want him declared wanted by the anti graft agency.
He said: “Kantigi should appear and tell Nigerians how and where he got the money. The N6 billion recovered so far belongs to the Niger state government.
“We hope that the recovered N6 billion would be transferred to the state’s accounts to enable this administration embark on development projects”.
Vatsa alleged that the fund recovered by the EFCC were funds siphoned from the local government joint account.
“We can tell you that the funds were siphoned from the local government joint account of Niger State and also through inflated Hajj subsidies offered by the state government to Pilgrims within the period he served as the Chairman of the Niger State Pilgrims’ Agency.”
Kantigi had however declared that he is not evading the EFCC, sayings, I acknowledge the fact that the EFCC has the constitutional right to investigate anybody they suspect, it is, however not true that I have been evading the commission. My lawyers are in touch with the EFCC and the commission is aware of this, so it is not true that I am evading the commission.
