A credible insider source within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has disclosed that operatives of the anti-graft agency successfully intercepted gold bars valued at approximately ₦4 billion at the Aminu Kano International Airport, with the consignment allegedly traced to Senator Abdul Aziz Yari Abubakar, former Governor of Zamfara State.
The source, who was an active member of the interception team, revealed that the gold bars were allegedly being smuggled out of the country with the assistance of one Aliyu Baffa, an airport security personnel, in collaboration with two other suspects. Those apprehended have since voluntarily confessed, without any form of coercion, to being members of a cartel allegedly controlled by Senator Yari, which is said to be engaged in large-scale illegal mining operations spanning Zamfara, Kaduna, and Kebbi States.
A senior security official at the Aminu Kano International Airport, who requested anonymity, recounted the sequence of events: “Our men on duty observed suspicious items concealed within 15 suitcases being loaded aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight destined for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and immediately alerted the EFCC, resulting in the interception of the physical gold bars.”
Subsequent investigations revealed that a close associate of Senator Yari, identified as a prominent member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), allegedly made contact with EFCC officials in a bid to secure the release of the seized gold through inducement. The attempt was firmly rejected. The associate was also denied access to officials of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Immigration Service, and airport security authorities. He was subsequently advised to communicate to Senator Yari the need to appear before the Commission for questioning, as Baffa and the two other suspects had explicitly named the former governor as the principal actor in the case.
In a related development, a known confidant of the former Senator, presently serving as a member of the House of Representatives, was reportedly spotted in a private discussion within the premises of the EFCC Kano State regional office, accompanied by two other individuals.
Senator Yari has been the subject of repeated allegations concerning his involvement in illegal mining activities. He has also been accused of channelling proceeds from illegal mining and stamp duty revenues into the financing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
At the time of compiling this report, Senator Yari had not responded to multiple telephone calls and had failed to acknowledge 21 text messages sent to him seeking his reaction to the allegations.
