Immediate-past Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, on Tuesday, admitted before the Federal High Court, Abuja, that he paid N8.5 billion on May 27, two days before handing overpower.
Abubakar, however, told the court that the money was paid to contractors, who he claimed executed various infrastructural contracts for the state under his watch. He also admitted that the N8.5 billion was paid to the contractors the same day the money was received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the order of the Federal Government as a refund for jobs done for the Federal Government.
The former governor, through his Counsel, Basil Kpenkpen, had, on Tuesday, in an 18-paragraph affidavit filed to support his application to be joined in the suit instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), denied laundering the sum of N19.9 billions as alleged by the anti-graft agency.