At a news conference in Abuja, Mr. Gamji Guana Joseph, the Executive Director of ASJ, stated that they were shocked to learn from the CCB that the Governor is worth significantly more than the previously disclosed sum of money.
According to the group's claims, the CCB's findings showed that the Governor had declared a total cash deposit in banks of £5,013,357,125.13, N1,522,865,024.00, and £841,704.77. The funds were added to multiple personal accounts at GT Bank, First Bank, and Taj Bank, and his corporate account with Credent Advisory Limited has a fixed income of N200 million.
The organization claimed that after multiple attempts to engage the state government on governance concerns related to accountability and the wave of insecurity in Zamfara state, they were left with no choice but to request that the CCB intervene.
In order to allow the government and foreign organizations to properly investigate the situation, the group gave the governor a week to provide an explanation for his wealth, failing which they would have to organize a protest march by Nigerians and residents of Zamfara State to the National Assembly.
It stated: "We want to put the CCB, an agency of the federal government, on notice that they have to explain to Nigerians how they verified the submissions, including the sources of income where applicable. We will not only be challenging the authenticity of the figures he declared while exposing sources of earnings.
"The governor may be exempt from prosecution, but it doesn't mean he can avoid a rebellion from his people and Nigerians! Since the clock is running out, we think he will act morally.
The organization continued, saying that a quick overview of Governor Dauda Lawal's professional background reveals that the former governor worked mostly as a banker for First Bank of Nigeria for the majority of his career. Lawal and his friend Munir Umaru Baba founded Credent Capital and Advisory Limited in 2014 after he quit the banking sector, with an initial capital base of $500 million.
Since then, they assert to have invested and managed more than $2 billion on behalf of more than 175 clients worldwide. Apart from these two documented professional endeavors, he is only known to have engaged in political activities.
"During our research discoveries, we have been exposed to a plethora of questions that require answers, particularly in relation to the average Zamfara person. These questions include: What are the origins of the $5 billion cash sum that has been deposited into one of his personal fixed-deposit First Bank accounts?
"Are these cash inflows the result of trustworthy transactions or questionable undertakings that concern money laundering, fraud, illicit mining, or terrorism financing?
If the $5 billion or more that he claims to have in his own accounts is the result of his joint investment endeavor, then their gross earnings throughout that time would have exceeded $12 billion when you take into account his partners' earned income and taxes that need to be paid. Can this be precisely demonstrated and confirmed?
"Did the governor use the money he declared to pay the federal government the commensurate taxes? The public has to see those tax receipts.
What is the appropriate legal penalty if the governor fails to pay the commiserate taxes? What are the consequences for such a crime under Nigerian laws if the financial assets claimed are fraudulent and deceptive and such amounts do not exist, meaning he lied under oath?
"What further explanation is there for his frivolous false declarations as a former banker, if not to lay the groundwork for him to loot the state and amass more wealth than he declared when he leaves office?"
"We implore His Excellency, Governor Dauda Lawal, to kindly provide the people of Zamfara State and Nigeria with the details and data underlying these financial deposit reports as soon as possible. This would help to alleviate their concerns that their governor is not a terrorist or a con artist.
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