Date: 2019-07-29

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ilorin Zonal Office, has arrested the Director-General, Kwara State Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Segun Soewu, over alleged N2billion fraud.

Also arrested were Ogudu Samuel of Brightway Micro-finance; A.K. Imam of Magajingari of mfb; Adeleke M.S. of Sincere mfb; Yusuf Muideen of Balogun Fulani mfb; Issa Abdulrasheed of KCMB mfb, and Oyebode Asimiyu of Apels mfb.

Others include Lawal Ayo of Omu-Aran mfb; Tope Eniola of Iludun mfb, Lawal Folashade of Stockcarp mfb, Yusuf Tajudeen of First Heritage mfb and Olawoye E.O. of Offa mfb.

The anti-graft agency said it earlier received intelligence reports alleging fraudulent misappropriation and mismanagement of about N2bn given by the Kwara State Government to assist market men and women across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.

Investigations further revealed that at the point of granting the loans, Soewu and the 11 mfb chiefs failed to follow due process.

It was also revealed that the N2bn loan facility meant for the general public to support their businesses and augment their working capital was distributed to highly placed politicians, traditional rulers and prominent people in the 16 LGAs.

The acting EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade, explained in a statement in Abuja on Monday, that Soewu and one of the managing directors of the banks who were grilled by EFCC operatives confessed that a traditional ruler was given N78 million.

The suspects reportedly said, “A prominent and First Class traditional ruler in the state received over N78million cash from the loans, but never returned a dime.

"The traditional ruler through his company, Yafy International Ventures Ltd., secured the loans without following the due process."

They disclosed further that “selected and influential market men and women across the 16 LGAs of the state received N5m each as loans, but did not payback."

The Commission also gathered that about 50 percent of the controversial loans were shared by highly placed individuals and selected businessmen and women at the expense of other beneficiaries.

Findings by the operatives of the Commission also indicated that the beneficiaries who got the loan between 2012 to 2018 failed to pay back.

"The suspects are still in custody and are cooperating with the EFCC," the statement added.