Fresh questions have emerged over the whereabouts and distribution of constituency empowerment items reportedly procured for Kaduna North Federal Constituency, following a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) seeking an investigation into the matter.
The petitioner, Ibrahim Sa’id Alkali, a resident of Kawo in Kaduna North Local Government Area, urged the anti-graft agency to investigate the alleged withholding, non-distribution, possible diversion and misuse of publicly funded empowerment items reportedly acquired for the constituency represented by Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai.
In the petition made available to Blueprint on Friday, Alkali requested the commission to verify whether the items were procured and delivered, establish their current location and determine whether they had reached the intended beneficiaries.
According to the petition, the intervention items reportedly include 212 tricycles, 320 motorcycles, 450 sewing machines, 24 vehicles, 200 water pumping machines and 5,500 bags of rice meant to support poverty alleviation, youth empowerment, agriculture, food security and small businesses across the constituency.
The petitioner claimed that despite reports that some of the items were supplied about two years ago while others allegedly arrived approximately 10 months ago, many residents were unaware of any transparent distribution exercise or beneficiary list.
Alkali further urged the ICPC to investigate whether additional constituency intervention assets had also been procured since the current lawmaker assumed office and whether they had been distributed in accordance with their intended purpose.
The petition also requested the commission to determine the source of funding for the items, identify the contractors and suppliers involved, verify the existence of distribution records and establish whether any of the assets had been diverted, concealed or otherwise misapplied.
According to the petitioner, information available to him suggested that some of the items might be stored in a warehouse in Minna, Niger State, a residential property on Danja Road in Kaduna and another warehouse in Idu District of the Federal Capital Territory.
He, however, acknowledged that he could not independently verify the claims, maintaining that the allegations had become widespread enough to warrant an independent investigation by the anti-corruption agency.
The petitioner stressed that his request was not intended to presume wrongdoing on the part of any individual but was aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of constituency intervention projects funded with public resources.
He urged the ICPC to recover any items found to have been unlawfully diverted, identify those responsible for any infractions and institute appropriate administrative, civil or criminal proceedings where necessary.
Meanwhile, Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai representing the Kaduna North is yet to respond to the petition as at press time.