Posted by By Francis Falola, Minna on
The former Chief of Staff to ex-governor Abdulkadir Kure of Niger State, Alhaji Ibrahim Lapai Ahmed, has said that he was forced to pay N7.5m to contractors for cars not supplied to the state government.
The former Chief of Staff to ex-governor Abdulkadir Kure of Niger State, Alhaji Ibrahim Lapai Ahmed, has said that he was forced to pay N7.5m to contractors for cars not supplied to the state government.
Lapai made the startling revelation in Minna while testifying before the commission of enqury investigating alleged malpractices in the award and execution of contracts by the immediate past administration. Ahmed said that even though he did not see the cars the contractors claimed to had supplied, he went ahead to pay them when he received threats to his life. The former COS, who named the three contractors as Alhaji Abdulkadir Tafida (now deceased), Mustapha Isah and Umoru Garba, told the commission that the trio claimed that they supplied four cars to Kure on October 8, 2006, adding that the ex-governor directed them to him for the payment.
He said because he was out of Nigeria at the time the said business was transacted, he asked the contractors to allow him verify their claims from either Kure or the Transport Officer in the Government House, Minna, Mr. Mohammed Muregi. He said the contractors, two of whom were government officials, ignored the plea and continued to insist on being paid. According to him, 'I had no choice than to pay when the harassment and threats to my life became too much.'
In his testimony, Muregi told the commission that he was expected to confirm the supply of any vehicle to the governor or the government house. He maintained that as the transport officer, he did not receive any vehicle from the contractors and that anything to the contrary was false.
But, Isah stated that it was the late Tafida who asked him if he had cars for sale as Kure was in need of some. He said he replied in the affirmative but would have to confirm from the then governor first. He said Kure actually confirmed that he needed four cars and that he immediately supplied the three cars in his possession while the fourth was supplied by Garba.
He stated that they were all delivered to the governor in his official residence in the presence of the late Tafida. He said that after the supply, the governor then directed him to meet Ahmed for payment even though he did not know what Kure did with the cars. He also said he had documents to support his claims.