- The Sokoto Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two Chinese citizens, Mr. Meng Wei Kun and Mr. Xu Koi for offering N100 million bribe to its Zonal Head, Mr. Abdullahi Lawal.
The Sokoto Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two Chinese citizens, Mr. Meng Wei Kun and Mr. Xu Koi for offering N100 million bribe to its Zonal Head, Mr. Abdullahi Lawal.
The suspects were arrested on Monday, May 11, in Sokoto.
The bribe was allegedly offered in a desperate bid to compromise ongoing investigations of a construction company, China Zhonghao Nigeris Limited, handling contracts awarded by the Zamfara state government in the sum of N50 billion from 2012 to 2019.
The zonal office of the fommission is investigating the construction company in connection with the execution of contracts for the construction of township roads in Gummi, Bukkuyun, Anka and Nassarawa towns of Zamfara state. Other contracts being investigated are the construction of 168 solar- powered boreholes in the 14 local government areas of the state.
Alarmed by the consistency and professionalism of investigation being conducted, the company reached out to Lawal with an offer of N100 million as bribe to bury the matter. In a grand design to trap the corrupt officials, Lawal played along and on Monday, two representatives of the company Meng Wei Kun and Xu Kuoi offered him cash totalling fifty million naira in their office along airport road, Sokoto.
The cash was offered as a first installment. However, the suspects were promptly arrested with the cash as evidence.
Investigation of the construction company was informed by an intelligence on alleged conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement, official corruption, abuse of office, stealing and money laundering obtained against the Zamfara state government through inflated and uncompleted contracts awarded to the company.
Also, investigation further revealed that China Zounghao Limited has received payments of over N41 billion from the state government, out of which about N16 billion equivalent to over $53 million was allegedly diverted and traced to some bureau de change operators.
The suspects would soon be charged to court.
