11 INEC officials admit receiving N120m bribe from ex-minister

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has revealed that 11 officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC collected a sum of N120m as bribe from ex- Minister of Petroleum Resources,

According to a report by Punch Newspaper, the 11 offficials, who include Ahmed Biu, Mohammed Zannah and Yinusa Biri, who supervised the 2015 general elections in Gombe State admitted receiving the sum, which is part of the N23bn ($115m) allegedly disbursed by Diezani during the 2015 general elections.

The 11 officials, it was further reported, made confessional statements after being grilled by the EFCC operatives in an interrogation session.

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In the words of a source at EFCC, “They have made useful statements and most of them have confessed to receiving millions of naira for their respective local government. They explained that two out of the 11 officials negotiated and collected the bribe on their behalf."

Continuing, the source said, 'The electoral officer for Akko Local Government Area, Ahmed Biu; and the one in charge of Gombe Local Government Area, Ahmed Ali Biu, and Mohammed Zannah, admitted to have collected the bribe from one Yunusa Biri, also a retired electoral officer who acted as Gombe State coordinator of bribes for electoral officers in the state.

“Biri was known and addressed as the coordinator of NGO, a code name used to cover the activities of the two parties,” the source disclosed.

It was further reported that this is coming a month after the arrest of a former Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Gesila Khan.