Ilorin
Only 50 students of Kwara state origin schooling at the Sokoto State Polytechnic benefitted from the bursery award by the state scholarship board.
This is contrary to the claim by the board that 336 students of the Polytechnic were given the bursary.
A former President, National Association of Kwara State Students, Abdulkareem Ismail and a student of the Polytechnic on Wednesday, told a Kwara State High Court Presided over by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye on Wednesday in Ilorin.
Ismail is the second prosecution witness in the resumed trial of three officials of the board: Immediate past Chairperson of the board, Alhaja Fatimoh Yusuf, the Executive Secretary, Fatai Lamidi and Accountant, Stephen Ajewole on a seven-charge bordering on corruption.
They were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) on a seven-for alleged involvement in bursary fraud to the tune of N50 million.
Ismail: ” My Lord, on that day when the Scholarship board officials arrived it was during strike period, we did a head count, less than 200 were on ground.
“The board officials disqualified many people. They said only 50 students were eligible to collect the bursary. ”
” I was among the 50 students that benefited from the bursary, they never ask us to append our signatures and I did not append my signature.
” I was invited by the EFCC last year, I was shown the last of beneficiaries submitted by the Board. I discovered that there were many irregularities.”
The witness also told the court that ” in the list shown me at the EFCC Office, three hundred and twenty six Students were paid as claimed by the Scholarship board but the list was not a true reflection of what happened, only fifty Students were paid. ”
” The list submitted to the scholarship board officials, prior for the payment, contained more details of students’ bio data but the one generated by the Board was doctored, ” Ismail added.
Justice Oyinloye, after discharging the witness, adjourned the case till March 23, 2020 for continuation of trial.
