KANO, Nigeria – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Directorate, has officially returned a total of ₦837,485,389.00 in recovered monetary exhibits to the Katsina State Government following successful anti-graft investigations into two major institutional fraud cases.
Okay News reports that the formal handover ceremony took place on Monday, May 18, 2026, at the EFCC Kano Zonal office. The Zonal Director, Assistant Commander Friday S. Ebelo, presented the bank drafts to Dr. Kabir Abdullahi Yantumaki, the Executive Director of Standard and Compliance for the Katsina State Internal Revenue Service, who received them on behalf of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s administration.
The returned funds stem from two distinct corruption clampdowns. The largest chunk, totaling ₦547,015,389.00, was clawed back after the state government petitioned the EFCC regarding a syndicate that systematically diverted nearly ₦1.3 billion in statutory tax remittances. The stolen monies originated from international humanitarian organizations operating in the region—including the World Health Organization (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), and ALIMA—before six Board of Internal Revenue Service (BOIRS) personnel colluded with three commercial bank employees to siphon the funds into private accounts. Out of 12 suspects arraigned, six have already pleaded guilty and been convicted, while the remaining six are currently standing trial at the Katsina State High Court.
The second recovery of ₦290,470,000.00 unraveled a systemic treasury raid originally flagged by a 2021 intelligence report. The EFCC established that the former Sub-Treasurer, Sani Lawal BK, and the former Deputy Sub-Treasurer, Saadu Maiwada, serving under the office of the Accountant General of Katsina State, used their positions to make massive, unauthorized cash withdrawals from the Katsina State Sub-Treasury Expenditure Account. The funds were funneled into personal shell companies for contracts that were completely fabricated. Both officials were arraigned on July 11, 2023, on money laundering charges, with active trials still ongoing as prosecution witnesses testify.
Urging the state to deploy the recovered cash transparently, EFCC Zonal Director Friday Ebelo stressed that the money belongs solely to the taxpayers. “This money belongs to the people of Katsina State, and I will urge that same be used for the betterment of the people of Katsina State,” Ebelo stated, warning public officials that the agency will remain relentless in tracking financial malfeasance. Dr. Yantumaki thanked the commission for its rigorous professionalism, assuring that the funds would be safely injected back into the state’s consolidated revenue account to boost public infrastructure and citizen welfare.
