HURIWA demands arrest of former NIRSAL MD over alleged N5.6bn fraud

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA on Monday, called for the arrest of the allegedly dismissed Managing Director of the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending, Aliyu Abdulhameed over alleged N5.6 billion wheat fraud.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, condemned the secret sacking of Abdulhameed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele after the alleged heist was uncovered by the media.

The group said the secrecy around the whole corruption allegations again exposed the charade of the anti-graft fight of the President Buhari regime for deliberate actions to cover wrongdoings of public officials is in a way complicitous of the present administration.

HURIWA, therefore, tasked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to arrest Abdulhameed and charge him to court if indeed he has been sacked as widely reported.

According to media reports, Abdulhameed was dismissed last week over multiple allegations of corruption, including a 2018 project wheat meant for farmers in Kano and Jigawa States. Another fellow has since been appointed to lead NIRSAL, a $500m non-bank financial institution which is a creation of the CBN mandated to manage agribusiness-related credit risks in Nigeria