The number of big shots in the current administration that may be consumed by the on-going probe of the former Accountant General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, are increasing on a daily basis as the investigation proceeds.
A highly placed source in the anti-corruption circle has informed Economic Confidential, that the total amount in the series of coordinated scams traced to the erstwhile AGF is up to N200 billion, adding that several people in the President Muhammadu Buhari cabinet, elected office holders at the national and state levels, heads of public agencies and parastatals as well as senior civil servants are neck-deep in the scam.
But the fear is that the administration has never really punished any top shot or highly connected person who had been involved in financial scandal.
Rather, every effort is made to provide such persons with soft landing or even par them on the back, the latest being Ibrahim Magu, immediate-past Chairma of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), even though members of the public was deceived that he had been suspended by the Police authorities.
There were several other top officials of the administration who were accused of scandal running into billions of naira, who remained untouched.
Recall that Idris was nabbed by operatives of the EFCC on May 16 in connection with series of fraud that was initially said to be in the region of N80 billion.
Since his arrest, the public have been told that he has been in the custody of EFCC and said to be volunteering information regarding other personalities involved in the alleged sleaze.
Recall also that Abdulrasheed Maina of the defunct Pension Task Force, was once said to have been detained only for him to resurface abroad, and at no time did the detaining agency raise the alarm that the person in their custody had escaped, yet, Nigerians believed that he was under detention.
However, in this case, three days later, Idris was suspended by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Idris, to enable him face his probe.
An acting AGF, Mr Anamekwe Nwabuoku, was named to hold forth in the office on May 22nd.
According to sources, the EFCC is also investigating him over graft allegations and Nwabuoku is known to visit the headquarters of EFCC on regular basis as part of the investigation activities, but it is not clear if he was going to the place as a witness or an accused.
According to Economic Confidential, his major issues was an allegation that while he was the Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Defense, he was accused to have enriched himself illegally.
He was also linked with the investigations on the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) used by some unscrupulous elements in government to steal the salaries of federal government staff.
It has been revealed that since the commencement investigation on Idris and his confessional statements, large withdrawals and deposit of funds in local and foreign currencies have reportedly led to the arrest of the former governor of Zamfara state, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, who like Idris, is said to be in EFCC custody up to the time of filing this report.
Also arrested on Sunday in the same investigation was the Chairman and Managing Director of Finex Professional, Mr. Anthony Yaro.
It is expected that given the information obtained by Idris, more arrests would be made.
It has also been gathered that lots of powerful and influential figures in the Buhari administration have been fingered in the diversion of over N200 billion, adding that the EFCC would soon swoop on those suspects for interrogation and prosecution.
