The Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has opened an investigation into
possible corrupt enrichment by Hassan Danbaba, a grandson of Sir Ahmadu Bello,
a former Premier of Nigeria's Northern Region who was also the Sardauna of
Sokoto.
Mr. Danbaba
is accused of partaking in the illegal sharing of funds meant to go to Nigerian
states as refunds from excess payments to the Paris Club, an international
lender. An EFCC source told SaharaReporters that Mr. Danbaba is facing
investigation for reportedly pocketing some of the refunds as a consultant and
at the same collecting millions of Naira from the Taraba State government for a
contract he
has so far
refused to implement.
SaharaReporters
learned that the Taraba contract was awarded to Sardauna's grandson by former
Governor Danbaba Suntai who passed away last week. Our source said Mr. Danbaba
apparently
abandoned
the contract soon after Mr. Suntai got involved in a plane crash in Yola in
2012.
The EFCC
source said the anti-corruption agency began the investigation on account of a
petition signed and submitted by several indigenes of Taraba State.
SaharaReporters
learned that Mr. Danbaba has made several desperate moves to scuttle the EFCC's
investigation. A source in Sokoto revealed that the Sardauna's grandson sought
to get the Sultanate Council to pressure both the EFCC and senior officials of
President Muhammadu Buhari's administration to abandon the investigation into
his Taraba contract. According to the source, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu
Sa'ad Abubakar III , insisted that the Palace would have nothing to do with the
issue.
Our source
also revealed that the Sultan's refusal to use the considerable weight of his
traditional office to obstruct the EFCC's investigation so angered the late
Sardauna's grandson that he recently walked out on senior counselors and other
traditional kingmakers during a recent meeting at the Palace.
"As you
may be aware, Danbaba is contesting for the title of Marafan Sokoto in the
Palace with former Minister of Youth, Inuwa Abdulkadir.
"When
the contest got heated, with counter accusations and lawsuits, he Sultan sought
to broker peace and directed the former Governor of old Sokoto State, Malam
Yahaya Abdulkarim, to lead the process," said our source.
He added:
"After the peace parley, the EFCC wrote to Alhaji Danbaba requesting he
appear before them to explain his dubious role in the Paris Club refunds issue,
and also to brief them on the contract he abandoned in Taraba after collecting
funds.
"Sensing
the opportunity to involve the Sultanate Council, he asked the kingmakers to
intervene and seek a soft landing for him. That effort was rebuffed, and it was
made clear to him that the Palace would not be involved in his personal
dealings.
"He was
advised to allow the law take its course. He was told that if he was innocent
of the charges as claimed, he has no reason to fear.
"He
then flared up and walked out on the meeting, threatening the Sultan and
warning that he may not last long on his seat if he can't stand by his close
associates."
Two of the
petitioners who triggered the EFCC's investigation told our correspondent that
they were outraged by Mr. Danbaba's decision to ditch a state contract for
which he had been paid a significant sum. One of the petitioners said he and
others were angry that the late Sardauna's grandson also hurriedly abandoned
his contractual obligations to Taraba State once then Governor Suntai sustained
serious injuries in a crash of a small plane he was piloting. "Alhaji
Danbaba's attitude was inhuman," the source said.
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