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Tag: alleged diversion

  • Ondo monarch, chiefs bicker over alleged diversion of salary

    Ondo monarch, chiefs bicker over alleged diversion of salary

    Six traditional rulers in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State have petitioned the government on the alleged non-release of their monthly stipends running into millions of naira by the Ajobu of Araromi Obu, Oba Aderemi Adelola.

    They demanded the immediate refund of the unpaid salaries to the beneficiaries.

    They urged the government to stop Oba Adelola from meddling with their statutory entitlements.

    The Ajobu insisted that the allegations were lies and ridiculous.

    Oba Adelola, who was not aware of the petition, said two of the traditional chiefs – Ibrahim Akintunde, the Oloja of Koseru and Adenikinju Robinson, the Oloja of Ago Alaye – were suspended for alleged fraudulent activities.

    But the chiefs accused Oba Adelola of using his position as the prescribed authority in the Constituency II of the Odigbo Local Government Area to perpetrate fraud.

    They said he had been persecuting those he perceived as opposiing him.

    The six olojas are: Ibrahim Akintunde, the Oloja of Koseru; Charles Basorun, Oloja of Imorun; Akinbolusere, the Oloja of Kajola; Ipaye, Oloja of Ajebamidele; Onokun, Oloja of Ayetoro and Robinson Adenikinju, Oloja of Ago Alaye.

    In an 11-paragraph petition, titled: “A case of fraud, criminal conversion and abuse of office by Oba Aderemi Adelola (Ajobu of Araromi Obu Kingdom)”, dated January 4 and signed by their lawyer, Mr Tunde Ajayi, the chiefs regretted that for several years, the Ajobu, despite signing for and collecting their salaries, had refused to pay them.

    This, they insisted, is a breach of the statutorily provisions of stipends for traditional rulers and chiefs by the Constitution.

    The Ajobu was also accused of diverting their monthly stipends into his personal use.

    The chiefs said he had allegedly been collecting the salaries of dead chiefs and pocketing same.

     

  • Alleged diversion of N16.6b: Court sends Suswam’s ex-aide, two others to prison

    Alleged diversion of N16.6b: Court sends Suswam’s ex-aide, two others to prison

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that an ex-aide to former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam and two other state officials be remanded in Suleja prison in Niger State for their alleged complicity in the fraudulent diversion of N16.6 billion.

    The three are Solomon Wombo, Asen Sambe and Isiah Ipevnor.

    Wombo was Special Adviser to Suswam on Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, who doubled as the chairman, Joint Allocation Account for Local Government Committee.

    Sambe was Permanent Secretary of the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and also served as the Secretary to the Joint Account Allocation for Local Government Committee.

    Ipevnor was director of Accounts and Finance in the state’s Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and secretary.

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba ordered that the three be remanded in prison while granting them bail.

    Justice Dimgba, who rejected the defence’s request that the defendants be remanded in police’s custody, ordered them to remain in prison until they are able to perfect the bail granted them.

    Wombo, Sambe and Ipevnor were arraigned on a nine-count charge filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

    They were accused, among others, of fraudulent diversion of N16.6 billion from Benue State’s bank accounts dedicated for the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and the Joint Allocation Account for Local Government funds.

    After their arraignment, lead prosecution lawyer Aminu Akilu urged the court to remand the defendants in prison pending when their bail applications would be heard.

    The judge, however, noted that the offences for which the defendants were arraigned were bailable.

    He advised parties to agree on conditions to be attached to the bail to be granted to the defendants.

    The judge later stood the case down to enable parties confer and agree on the bail conditions.

    The parties, with Akilu (for prosecution) and Innocent Daa’gba later met briefly outside the courtroom, during which they agreed on some conditions, which the judge consequently accepted, but with some modifications.

    Justice Dimgba granted bail to the defendants at N100million each with two sureties, one of who must be a civil servant, who must not be lower than an Assistant Director in any state or federal ministries or other government establishments.

    The other surety, the judge said, could be a private businessman or woman, who must own a property in the municipal area of Abuja, worth N100 million.

    He said civil servant, who accept to serve as surety, must also present his/her letter of appointment, last promotion letter and staff identity card or driver’s licence.

    The judge ordered the defendants to deposit their passports and other travel documents and must not travel outside the country without the court’s permission.

    The prosecution accused the defendants of fraudulently diverting N16,604,314,604.01 belonging to the 23 local government areas in Benue State.

    It said of the N16.6 billion, the defendants, between June 15, 2012 and May 29, 2015, allegedly diverted N7,032,333,506.28  from the state’s “SURE-P Local Government component” bank account into the account of  Benue State Local Government Joint Account,  with the aim of concealing the money and for their own personal benefits.

    Before the defendants were arraigned, Akilu told the court that although the alleged offences were committed in Benue State, the prosecution chose to file the charge in Abuja because of the insecurity in the state before now.

    Although the defence lawyer agreed that the trial could be conducted in Abuja, Justice Dimgba noted that it was possible that the case could be heard speedily in Makurdi, where there were few of such high profile cases.

    The judge asked parties to reflect on his observation and adjourned to December 18.

  • Senate to probe alleged diversion of N18bn from IDPs fund

    The Senate may be set for another face-off with the presidency over alleged illegal diversion of N18 billion from the N48 billion earmarked for the Presidential Committee on the Northeast Initiative (PCNI).

    The National Assembly had approved the N48 billion for rehabilitation of millions of Internally Displaces Persons (IDPs) and rebuilding of the six Northeastern states ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency in the 2017 budget.

    But one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Ministers and a high ranking Presidency official were alleged to have diverted N18, 227,065,037.50 of the funds sometime in August 2017.

    According to documents sighted by our correspondent, N5 billion of the N18.2 billion had already been withdrawn by the two government functionaries for a project they termed the “Bama Initiative,” which sources said, is alien to the PCNI.

    The N5 billion was captured under a subhead of “retraining of security personnel in the Northeast zone,” a responsibility clearly outside the purview of the PCNI.

    It was gathered that the alleged heist was perpetrated through a decoy account code named the “Northeast Intervention Fund” and executed during the 104 days President Buhari was away in London on medical vacation.

    A competent government source confided in our correspondent during the week the two influential officials have kept the chairman of the PCNI, General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), in the dark on the shadowy deal.

    While inaugurating the PCNI in October 2016, President Buhari had directed all government agencies involved in humanitarian efforts in the Northeast to collapse into PCNI, which he mandated to coordinate all intervention activities in the zone.

    Going by the President’s directives, the PCNI is charged with the task of coordinating interventions by public, private, national and foreign development partners.

    According to the President, the PCNI: “is charged with the responsibility for developing the strategy and implementation of the framework for rebuilding the Northeast region”.

    The N48 billion was meant to address humanitarian crises in the 112 local governments in the six affected states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba.

    The controversial “Bama Initiative” project, for which the N18.2 billion was diverted, is purportedly in respect of the Bama local government in Borno State where the high ranking Presidency official hails from.

    Further investigation revealed the said Presidential official appointed himself chairman of the “Bama Initiative” with the Procurement Committee also under his charge while the said Minister is chairperson of its “Project Committee”.

    It would be the second time the Senate would be beaming its searchlight on issues arising from the management of the N48 billion vote for the terror-ridden Northeast zone.

    Following similar reports of diversion of funds from the coffers of the then Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), the Senate had in 2016 instituted a probe into the expenditures of the PINE.

    The investigation had unearthed fraudulent award of contracts and violation of the provisions of the Procurement Act, for which the then Secretary to the Government of the Federal (SGF), Engr. Babachir David Lawal was indicted.

    The indictment, contained in a report of extensive investigation by a Senate ad hoc Committee on the Mounting Humanitarian Crises in the Northeast, revealed how Babachir Lawal diverted over N500 million of the budgeted funds.

    The fraud was perpetrated through Rholavision Engineering Limited, a company in which Lawal was discovered to have substantial interests.

    Other companies fronting for the former SGF were also discovered to have paid huge sums of money into 13 different bank accounts linked to Lawal.

    Based on the report by the chairman of the Senate ad hoc Committee Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) and other members of the panel, the Senate had recommended the immediate dismissal and prosecution of the former SGF.

    The overwhelming evidence contained in the Senate’s report, released in December 2016 and public outcry over the fraud, forced President Buhari to send Lawal on indefinite suspension on April 19, 2017. The suspension order is still in force.

    A National Assembly source confirmed to our correspondent at the weekend that the Senate may begin the process of investigation as soon as it resumes from recess on September 26.

  • Former Governor, two others in prison over alleged diversion of N9.69b

    Former Governor, two others in prison over alleged diversion of N9.69b

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that a former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, an ex-Finance Commissioner Omadachi Oklobia and one other be remanded in Kuje prison, following their arraignment for allegedly diverting N9.79billion public funds.

    Justice Kolawole ordered that Suswam, Oklobia and a former Accountant, Benue State Government House Administration, Mrs. Janet Aluga, should to remain in prison pending when they are able to meet the conditions attached to the bail granted them yesterday.

    The three were arraigned on a 32-count charge, in which they were among others, accused of diverting N9,791,602,453.8 meant for the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) scheme and police reform, between 2012 and 2015.

    The offence was allegedly committed when Suswam was the governor and the other two served in their various capacities.

    When the charge was read to them, they pleaded not guilty, following which their lawyers raised the issue of bail.

    The charge was filed by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on March 27, 2015

    Lawyer to Suswam and Oklobia – Tawo Tawo (SAN) – informed the court that he has filed bail applications for his clients. He urged the court to adopt the November 10, 2015 ruling by Justice Ahmed Mohammed (before who Suswam and Oklobia are being tried on a separate case) granting bail to his clients.

    Lawyer to Mrs. Aluga, Innocent Daa’gba, also informed the court about a similar bail application he filed on June 8, 2017 for his client.

    Lead prosecuting lawyer, Aminu Alilu, did not object to the applications for bail, but said he preferred to leave the issue of whether or not bail should be granted to the defendants at the discretion of the court.

    Justice Kolawole granted bail to the defendants by adopting, but with little variation, the conditions in the bail earlier granted Suswam and Oklobia by Justice Mohammed.

    Justice Kolawole admitted the three to bail at N250 million each, with one surety, who must be a director or principal officer not below Grade Level 12 of any agency of the Federal Government, state or local government area in any part of the country.

    He said where the defendants cannot find a government official, they are at liberty to present “a person who owns a national honour” as sureties.

    Justice Kolawole ordered that the three defendants should be remanded in prison until the court’s Deputy Registrar (DCR) Litigation verified the documents to be tendered by the defendants and the prison authorities advised to release them.

    The defendant, earlier in the proceedings, rejected a proposal by the prosecution to transfer the case from the Abuja, to the Makurdi, Benue State division of the court. They argued that the state of insecurity, which informed the decision of the prosecution to file the case in Abuja earlier in March, still persists.

    Justice Kolawole has adjourned to October 10 for the commencement of trial.

    Suswam and Oklobia are being tried before Justice Mohammed (also at the Federal High Court, Abuja) by the (EFCC on a separate charge of alleged diversion of about N3 billion proceeds from the sale of Benue State’s shares in some companies.

  • Alleged diversion of N13b arms fund: Dasuki, Bafarawa, others re-arraigned

    Alleged diversion of N13b arms fund: Dasuki, Bafarawa, others re-arraigned

    Former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki, ex-Governor of Sokoto State Attahiru Bafarawa and four others were re-arraigned yesterday before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama over their alleged involvement in the diversion of N13 billion meant to buy arms for the military.
    Others are Sagir (Bafarawa’s son), a former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, an ex-Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda and a firm linked to Sagir – Dalhatu Investment.
    They were earlier arraigned on the same charge before another judge of the court, Justice Peter Affen.
    Their re-arraignment before Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf yesterday was informed by the transfer of the case to Justice Yusuf’s court.
    Another case on related issue involving Dasuki and some other set of people is also pending before Justice Yusuf.
    Both cases are now to be tried by the same judge.
    Yesterday, Dasuki was brought to court from the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS), where he is being held since his arrest in 2015.
    Dasuki and others pleaded not guilty to the 22-count charge when it was read to them yesterday.
    The charge was filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
    They are charged with criminal breach of trust, receiving stolen property and misappropriation of about N13 billion.
    After the defendants pleaded to the charge, defence lawyers, including Ahmed Raji (SAN), urged the court to allow their clients to continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted them.
    Raji, who represented Dasuki, urged the judge to re-affirm the bail with respect to his client for the purpose of restating it to the DSS that has refused to release his client despite meeting the bail conditions.
    Lead prosecuting lawyer Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) opposed Raji’s application, arguing that it was unnecessary.
    In a ruling, Justice Yusuf noted that he had earlier ruled that the EFCC was not in disobedience of the court orders granting bail to Dasuki, as the ex-NSA was being held by another agency, which was not involved in the case.
    He granted the defence lawyers’ request that the defendants be allowed to continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted them.
    The judge adjourned to February 24 for the beginning of trial.

  • Alleged diversion of funds: Ex-NIMASA D-G to make no-case submission

    Alleged diversion of funds: Ex-NIMASA D-G to make no-case submission

    •EFCC closes case

    THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday closed its case in the trial of former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) acting Director-General Calistus Obi over alleged diversion of funds.

    Obi was arraigned in April on eight counts of converting N378,810,000 from NIMASA along with Dismass Alu Adoon, Grand Pact Limited and Global Sea Investment Limited.

    His lawyer Wole Akoni (SAN) said his client might make a no-case submission, in which no witnesses would be called by the defence.

    Obi was arraigned on the same day as another former acting NIMASA D-G, Haruna Jauro, who was accused of converting N304.1 million from NIMASA.

    Jauro, who was NIMASA’s Executive Director, Finance and Administration, had opted to enter a plea bargain with EFCC, the process of which is still ongoing.

    Obi, a former NIMASA Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Service, took over from former D-G Patrick Akpobolokemi, who is facing five separate fraud and theft charges. Obi acted for about a week before he was replaced by Jauro.

    Obi, Global Seal and Grand Pact were said to have converted N42,755,000.00 on December 24, 2013. On May 2, 2013, he converted N25,000,000, as well as N46.3 million between April 1 and December 11, 2014.

    EFCC said the money was proceed of stealing. The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

    Yesterday, prosecution counsel Mr. Nkereuwem Anana said EFCC had no more witnesses to call.

    While being cross-examined by defence counsel Mr. Wale Akoni (SAN), the last prosecution witness, an EFCC investigator, Mr. Chukwuma Orji, said Obi was not signatory to NIMASA’s Access Bank Plc account.

    Orji said: “The first accused is not a signatory to the account, but the mandate card bears his picture.”

    Referring the witness to counts one to four of the charge, Akoni asked if any part of the N111 million mentioned in one of the charges was traced to Obi’s account.

    Orji answered: “I traced the monies to the two accused in the dock.”

    The witness added that a bureau de change operator handed the money to Adoon, who passed it to Obi.

    The witness said: “My Lord, Exhibit T8 clearly shows how the said amount of money left NIMASA under the instruction of the accused.”

    Under examination by Adoon’s lawyer Dr. Joseph Nwobike (SAN) on whether he (Adoon) was a signatory to any of the accounts, the witness replied: “No”.

    On whether there were documents to show that payments were made to Adoon from NIMASA, the witness said Obi made several conflicting statements to the EFCC, which portrayed him as insincere.

    Akoni informed the court that he intends to file a no-case submission in response to the charge.

    A no-case submission is a term whereby a defendant seeks acquittal without having to present a defence.

    Nwobike said he would review the evidences already given, in order to know whether to tow the same line with Akoni.

    Justice Mojisola Olatoregun-Ishola adjourned until December 15.

  • Alleged diversion of N1trn: Justice Ministry seeks Larmode’s probe

    Alleged diversion of N1trn: Justice Ministry seeks Larmode’s probe

    THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been asked by the Federal Ministry of Justice to investigate the allegation that the agency’s chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, diverted about N1 trillion proceeds of corruption recovered by the anti-graft agency.

    The request by the EFCC to investigate Lamorde was informed by a petition dated September 18, 2015, sent to the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Abdullahi Yola.

    The petition was filed by a security expert and Chief Executive Officer of a security firm, Panic Alert Security Systems (PASS), George Uboh,

    Uboh sent a reminder letter dated September 28, to Yola, threatening to sue the ministry, if he failed to respond to his petition within seven days.

    In the petition, Uboh asked the Justice Ministry, “through which EFCC derives its power to immediately rescind the fiat to prosecute criminal suspects from EFCC”.

    He also sought a “fiat for the prosecution of EFCC’s past and present leadership and their known and unknown co-conspirators via the 22-page preliminary criminal charges the undersigned has prepared.”

    The ministry’s letter, signed by the Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Muhammad Diri, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, is dated October 8, 2015.

    The letter, which was made available to reporters in Abuja yesterday, indicated that Yola had directed the EFCC to investigate the allegation against Lamorde and forward the result of investigation to him “as soon as it is completed”.

    It reads: “I refer to your letter dated September 28, 2015, in respect of the above mentioned subject matter.

    “I am directed to inform you that your petition has been sent to the EFCC for their response to the allegation contained therein. The commission has been directed by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary to forward the result of its investigation as soon as it is completed.

    “Accept please, the assurances of the highest regards of the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary.”

    Uboh, in a statement yesterday, argued that “pursuant to the Civil Service Rules, Ibrahim Lamorde must step aside during the pendency of the investigation by the commission”.

    Uboh, also in his petition, alleged that Lamorde diverted among others, the loot recovered from a former Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; and ex-Inspector-General of Police Tafa Balogun.

    He accused Lamorde of specific instances of under-remittance and non-disclosure of proceeds of corruption recovered from criminal suspects, including Balogun and Alamieyeseigha.

    The alleged fraud, he said, dated back to Lamorde’s days as the director of Operations of the EFCC between 2003 and 2007, as well as the acting commission’s chairman between June 2007 and May 2008, when the then chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, was away for a course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos.

    Uboh, who alleged that the EFCC was yet to account for “offshore recoveries” and that “over half of the assets seized from suspects are not reflected in EFCC exhibit records,” promised the Senate that he would produce “overwhelming evidence” to back his claims against Lamorde.

    He equally accused Lamorde of conspiring with some EFCC officers and external auditors “to operate and conceal a recovery account in the Central Bank of Nigeria and excluded the balances from audited financial statements between 2005 and 2011”.

  • Five arrested in Ebonyi for alleged diversion of kerosine

    The Ebonyi State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) yesterday arrested five suspects on the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway for over alleged diversion of 4,530 litres of kerosine.

    Addressing reporters yesterday at the command headquarters in Abakaliki, the state capital, NSCDC spokesman Nwali Emmanuel said the suspects were arrested near the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Abakaliki office, on the expressway.

    According to him, those arrested include Mrs. Gloria Eze, Mr. John Ikechukwu Nwaeze (a popular musician), Mr. Eze James, Mrs. Nwude Ngozi and another woman, who gave her name simply as Nwanyiocha.

    Nwali said the suspects were conveying the product with a commercial bus, with registration number XB 194 UWN and another Volkswagen Golf car, with registration number XA 642 BZR.

    The police spokesman explained that the two cars were laden with 151 gallons of kerosiene.

    He said: “Following a tip-off that some people bought so many gallons of kerosine from a petroleum station in Abakaliki and diverted them to other places to sell at a higher price, we sent our men to monitor them. On getting to the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, we accosted two vehicles laden with kerosine. During interrogation, we discovered that they were taking the product to an unknown area.

    “The five suspects, comprising two men and three women, confirmed that the product was bought at one of the major stations in the state. We are still investigating the matter. Though the two men claimed they were drivers hired by the women to convey the kerosine to a destination, by the time we conclude our investigation, the matter would be charged to court.

    “These are the people who usually cause artificial scarcity of kerosine in the state. The command will ensure that the masses get kerosine from the mega station without a cabal hijacking it. We have also realised that some of these people, when they get the product, adulterate it. Thus, the product becomes harmful to the users.

    “Last month, two children were burnt to death and their mother was badly burnt as a result of kerosine adulteration and explosion. This act is an economic sabotage to the nation. The NSCDC is battle-ready to arrest and prosecute this cabal that has continued to cause hardship among Ebonyi State residents.”

    But one of the suspects, John Ikechukwu Nweze, denied involvement in the act.

    He said he was hired by one of the women to convey the product to Kpirikpiri, near Abakaliki in Ebonyi Local Government.

    He described as unconstitutional and an abuse of his fundamental rights his detention at the NSCDC cell for three days.

    Nweze added that the women, who hired him to convey the product, had confessed that they were the owners of the product.