The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Directorate, on Monday, May 18, 2026, officially handed over recovered monetary exhibits totalling ₦837,485,389.00 to the Katsina State Government.
The handover followed separate investigations into two major cases involving stolen public funds belonging to the state.
In the first case, the Commission recovered ₦547,015,389.00 ( Five Hundred and Forty Seven Million, Fifteen Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty Nine Naira) following a petition from the Katsina State Government regarding the criminal diversion of nearly ₦1.3 billion in statutory tax remittances.
The funds, which originated from international organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and ALIMA, were systematically diverted into a private bank account by six Board of Internal Revenue Service (BOIRS) personnel and three bank employees. Following the investigation, 12 suspects were charged in court. Six of the suspects have already been convicted after pleading guilty, while the remaining six are currently standing trial at the Katsina State High Court.
In the second case, the Commission recovered ₦290,470,000.00 ( Two Hundred and Ninety Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) traced to a systemic fraud uncovered by a 2021 intelligence report. The investigation revealed that former Sub-Treasurer, Sani Lawal BK and former Deputy Sub-Treasurer Saadu Maiwada in the office of the Accountant General of Katsina State colluded and diverted the sum to their personal companies through unauthorised, substantial cash withdrawals from the Katsina State Sub-Treasury Expenditure Account. Investigation also revealed that no services were rendered, nor any contracts awarded to warrant the withdrawals.
The suspects had since been charged in court and arraigned on July 11, 2023, on offences bordering on money laundering and misappropriation of funds in both Federal and State High Courts. Trials have commenced, and witnesses are testifying before the courts.
The handover ceremony took place at the Kano Zonal Directorate, where the Zonal Director, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1Friday S. Ebelo, presented the recovered funds to Dr Kabir Abdullahi Yantumaki, Executive Director of Standard and Compliance, Katsina State Internal Revenue Service.
Speaking during the ceremony, Ebelo reiterated the Commission’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that public funds are protected and that individuals entrusted with their management are held accountable. He noted that the recovery was a result of painstaking investigative work by the hardworking officers of the Commission. He also urged the Katsina State Government to utilise the recovered funds judiciously for the benefit of Katsina State citizens.
“This money belongs to the people of Katsina State, and I will urge that it be used for the betterment of the people of Katsina State,” he said. He urged public officials to adhere to due process and warned that the EFCC would continue to track all forms of financial malfeasance.
Receiving the drafts, Yantumaki expressed gratitude to the EFCC for its diligence and professionalism. He assured that the recovered funds would be properly channelled into the state’s consolidated revenue account for the benefit of citizens.
