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Secrets Reporters
Documents at the disposal of SecretsReportes have exposed how corruption eroded the government of Niger State during the tenure of Abubakar Sani Bello who was the governor of the State within the year 2015 to 2023 by awarding contracts to cronies, thereby violating the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Section 19 of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 states that a public officer who uses their position to gain an unfair advantage for themselves or others is guilty of an offence. The penalty for this offence is five years in prison without the option of a fine.
Documents showed that Abubakar Sani Bello the current Senator representing Niger North Senatorial district in the 10th National Assembly abused the powers of his office, while serving as the governor of Niger State, by awarding contracts worth ₦197,146,104.18, to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited a company run and managed by Amina Abubakar Bello, his wife (the first lady of the state at the time).
On March 25, 2022, the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Headquarters paid ₦15,739,815.58 to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited for “consultancy services for the construction of 3.5 km Afiankwo Igboro Road in Elu Ohafia LGA, Abia State.”
Records have it that on April 1, 2022, the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Lagos, paid ₦24,499,987.46 to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited for the “construction of a 3 km road at Kofar Liman, Dutsen Daaliya, Bauchi State, as per project BRRI/1017/S.11/1/559”.
On May 27, 2022, the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Lagos, paid ₦5,369,221.67 to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited as retention payment for the “construction of a 3 km road at Kofar Liman, Dutsen Daaliya, Bauchi State, as per project BRRI/1017/S.11/1/PG570”.
On June 1, 2021, the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Lagos, paid ₦42,100,285.85 to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited for the “construction of a 3 km road at Kofar Liman, Dutsen Dan-Aliya, Bauchi State, as per project BRRI/1017/S.11/1/PG522”.
On December 1, 2021, the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Lagos, paid ₦15,372,984.38 to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited for the “construction of a 3 km road at Kofar Liman, Dutsen Da’aliya, Bauchi State, as per project BRRI/1017/S.11/PG553”.
On December 1, 2019, the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Lagos, paid ₦14,872,849.75 to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited as “15% advance payment for the construction of a 3 km road at Kofar Liman, Dutsen Daaliya, Bauchi State”.
On December 1, 2019, the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Lagos, paid ₦18,997,803.33 to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited for the “construction of a 3 km road at Kofar Liman, Dutsen Daaliya, Bauchi State.”
On November 1, 2020, the Federal Psychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri, paid ₦18,142,790.70 to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited for the extension of the laboratory complex.
On December 1, 2022, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing paid ₦42,050,365.46 to Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited as the “final payment for the construction of two blocks of 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows in Kaduna State”.
Hyperdrange Nigeria Limited was registered in Abuja, FCT on July 2009, with registration number 828747.
The company has five key directors/management personnel among whom is Amina Abubakar Bello, the then first lady of Niger State at the time these contracts were awarded.
