The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Michael Gowon, has told the judicial commission of inquiry probing the eight years administration of past Governor Jonah David Jang that the now Senator representing Plateau North diverted N3 billion from the board’s account.
Gowon, while testifying before the commission during cross-examination on Friday, said N2 billion out of the money was withdrawn from the board’s account on June 23, 2014 and that the amount was deposited into another account named, Plateau State Project Account.
Governor Simon Bako Lalong had in May told journalists that the state government recovered N2.7 billion from the looted SUBEB fund and that efforts were on to recover the remaining sum.
Gowon on Friday said the former governor diverted the board’s grant to other ministries and unknown individuals, adding that the transfer was made based on a directive from the former governor through a letter from the Accountant General of the state.
Counsel to Plateau SUBEB, Obende Sunday, said the bank statements tendered in evidence showed that there were other withdrawals from the board’s account which were deposited into some strange accounts.
Sunday said the account statements showed that N400 million was transferred from the board’s account to that of the state Ministry of Land and Survey on October 16, 2016, while N8,500,000 was withdrawn and deposited into an unknown account on September 9, 2014.
Sunday further said that N199 million was transferred to an unknown account on Oct. 14, 2014.
The counsel added that the board’s account was debited with N16 million, N109 million and N199 million on the same day and transferred to “a strange account”.
The commission’s chairman, Justice Stephen Adah, then asked the witness to present to the commission all approvals given to the board to transfer funds to the said accounts on or before October 19.
Source: Daily Trust
