Name source of ransom paid to herdsmen, Sani tells el-Rufai

April 15, 2017 The Nerd Community 0 Comments

The lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani, has challenged Governor Nasir el-Rufai to tell Nigerians from which vote he paid herdsmen involved in the killings in Southern Kaduna.

 Senator Shehu Sani

Sani said this in a telephone chat with Saturday PUNCH on Friday.

The senator had referred to an interview granted by the Kaduna State governor in December 2016, in which he reportedly said his government had traced some “violent and aggrieved” Fulani to their countries and had paid them to stop their attacks on southern Kaduna natives, stating that the renewed violence was being carried out by bandits.

Sani, however, said, “He (the governor) should tell the country from which budget he paid the herdsmen. In all his submissions, there is no issue of the herdsmen. So, from which budget did he pay them?”

The lawmaker also buttressed his point in a message to our correspondent via WhatsApp.

The message read, “The call for National Assembly to open its book is legitimate and morally right. I believe the leadership of the National Assembly is listening and the disclosure by Speaker Dogara is timely.

“The general public should not be deceived by Kaduna governor’s stunts and public presentation of his work of fiction he calls security vote. Whoever can believe that a state governor lives on less than half a million naira monthly is either hypnotised, dazzled or high on an inebriant.

“If you are convinced that Kaduna State governor transparently spent his security votes on CCTV cameras, visit Kaduna if you will ever see one security camera. If you are convinced that the Kaduna governor transparently spent his security votes on the police, please ask him from which of the votes does he pay the herdsmen?”

He added, “The Nigerian public cannot know who is a saint or a sinner in power; it always has to take men out of power for the public to know what exists beneath the throne. Nigeria’s lost wealth is not just in Swiss banks and Dubai real estate; it’s not just hidden in cesspit holes and in dusty ceilings; it’s in the files of the conduct bureau well protected by the law of secrecy.

“Apart from President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, no other vendor of change is willing to publicly declare their assets.”

Sani’s challenge came at a time el-Rufai had engaged the National Assembly in a transparency contest.

El-Rufai had challenged the National Assembly to provide details on its opaque N115bn annual budget.