Former Bauchi state governor Mallam Isa Yuguda said he will take legal action to challenge the findings of the Bauchi state asset recovery committee which indicted him along side former governor MA Abubakar for allegedly carting away over N1 trillion from the state’s treasury during their separate tenures.
WikkiTimes recalls that Bauchi state Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has hinted that his administration will prosecute his predecessors, former governors Isa Yuguda and MA Abubakar who allegedly looted properties and assets worth over a trillion naira belonging to the state government during their tenures.
Governor Bala who gave the indication when he received a comprehensive report of the state’s asset recovery committee constituted on 12 July, 2019 and mandated to investigate assets allegedly diverted from 2007 to 2019 said the prosecution was necessary in order to recover the stolen assets.
But a former information and communications commissioner during Isa Yuguda administration Alhaji Salisu Barau who described the allegations as baseless says his principal will take legal action to clear his name.
“You know like I told you, when somebody leveled a baseless allegations against you, as a citizen of the country you are at liberty to take the person to court to seek redress on the damage done to your reputation.
“My principal was initially thinking that some people were all out to spoil the good relationship that has existed between Yuguda and Kaura because Bala is a boy to malam Yuguda and he cannot deny that.
“Whatever is the situation between them, that boy/master relationship had existed a very long time and nobody can deny that.
“We thought there are some groups of people who do not wish Bala and Yuguda well, but now that report has been received by the governor himself and have ordered for prosecution, am sorry to say that our principal has no option than to go to competent court of law to seek redress.
Alhaji Salisu while reacting to the report said the amount the committee said was carted away by the previous administrations in the state does not reflect the reality.
“The overall money accrued to Isa Yuguda throughout his 8 year tenure is not more than N700 billion naira”.
“So are you telling me that Isa Yuguda did not eploy workers, he did not pay salaries, he did not execute any single project in Bauchi”, he queried.
Salisus said “hitherto the submission of the report, we saw the report on the social media and had wanted to keep mute thinking that it was just the committee that made their own assertion and even wrongly went to media.
“But today that the committee has submitted its report to the Governor, and the Governor has made some pronouncements; it has become clear to everybody that this is just one of the political gimmicks from the government purposely created to distract the attention of the citizens of Bauchi state so that the maladministration in this government will continue.
“To me personally, it is ridiculous, it’s ridiculous because if you look at the revenue portfolio of the state during the tenure of my boss, Dr. Isah Yuguda for whom I am speaking now, you will agree with me that the total money accrued to the coffers of the government as at then, between May 2007 – May 2015 I think it was between the range of 650-700 billion naira.
“Now, the question a rationale person will ask is; how did the two governors collected this amount of money and cart out of it 1 trillion naira? “Does it mean that the two governments have done nothing in the state? They have not paid salaries, they have not service the government, and they have not done anything?
