N80bn Fraud: FG Suspends AGF Without Pay …As EFCC Uncovers 17 Properties Belonging To Him 

The Federal Government has suspended the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris, who is currently being investigated for fraud to the tune of N80 billion.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who announced the suspension in a letter on Wednesday, said  the suspension was to allow for a seamless investigation.
The minister warned the embattled public official not to visit the office at any time, adding that the suspension was in line with the public service rules.
The letter titled, ‘Letter of Suspension’ read in part, “Following your recent arrest by EFCC on allegations of diversion of funds and money laundering, I write to convey your suspension from work without pay effective May 18, 2022.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in a statement on Monday announced the arrest of the AGF for alleged N80bn fraud.
The EFCC statement said that, “The commission’s verified intelligence showed that the AGF raked off the funds through bogus consultancies and other illegal activities using proxies, family members and close associates. The funds were laundered through real estate investments in Kano and Abuja”.
It was learnt that Idris came under scrutiny last year following allegations that he offered huge sums of money to a family in order to secure the marriage of their 16-year-old daughter.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has traced at least 17 properties to the embattled  Accountant-General.
The Tide learnt that the properties traced to Idris are located in Kano, Lagos, Abuja, Dubai and London.
It was further gathered that Idris did not declare the purchased properties before the Code of Conduct Bureau as stipulated by law
The Tide recalls that the AGF had in 2021 launched Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited which he had openly admitted to owning.
Idris stated this when he received a delegation of Kano Concerned Citizens Initiative led by its late Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Tofa. The project is said to be worth huge sums of money which is far more than his income.
An EFCC official said the legal department was already getting an order to remand the suspended AGF and get an interim forfeiture on some of his properties pending the completion of investigations.