A civil society organisation, Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance, says it has called for the probe of the sacked Director-General of the Department of State Services, Mr Lawal Daura, for his alleged link with two fraudulent foreign bank accounts.
The group alleged that part of the over £3m released by the Federal Government to be paid as ransom to Boko Haram for the release of Dapchi schoolgirls was diverted into two foreign accounts operated by a Nigerian security chief under the pseudonym, Auwalu Kallamu.
The group, while welcoming the sacking of Daura by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, said it believed the coast was now clear for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to look into its call to unravel the link between the said Auwalu Kallamu and Daura.
“We have been calling on the EFCC for some weeks now to unravel the mysterious face behind the name, Auwalu Kallamu, which is a pseudonym used to operate two foreign accounts into which some parts of the over £3m allegedly paid by the Nigerian government to secure the release of some of the schoolgirls abducted from Chibok and Dapchi towns in Borno and Yobe states respectively, have been traced to.
“We are glad to tell Nigerians that our formal petition with documentary evidence is now ready and will be submitted to the EFCC on Tuesday in Abuja so that the anti-graft agency can have a lead to work on in unraveling the link between Daura and the name, Auwalu Kallamu,” the CSO said in a statement on Sunday by its chairman, Alhaji Toyin Raheem.
The group had, at a press conference in July, urged the EFCC to immediately investigate the allegation, noting that the case was already a subject of an investigation by the Israeli Police.
“The Israeli Police were the first to launch an investigation and subsequently arrested one of their citizens and others on account of bribery and corrupting foreign government officials, in which the Nigerian security chief’s name featured prominently.
“Foreign probe reports have established the true owner of GmbH bank account no. 32570021 with Lamda Privat Bank, Liechtenstein, under the pseudonym Auwalu Kallamu, as the sole signatory.
“Auwalu and Kallamu are said to be the Arabic synonyms of Nigerian names.
“CACOBAG is determined to see that investigation in this matter is not stalled by any means whatsoever.
“We have trust that the EFCC will do the needful and will save us from the ridicule brought upon the country by the unscrupulous security chief, the fake Auwalu Kalamu.
“This is by exposing him and punishing him according to our law. Only this will prove to the world our seriousness in the fight against corruption.
“However, let us warn, any attempt to sweep this matter under the carpet will be resisted by the mass of our people and CACOBAG will take all legitimate means to compel EFCC to do its work,” the CSO had said.
