The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is probing 10 senior officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over an alleged N7.5 billion fraud.
The anti-graft agency has also invited 10 contractors linked with the alleged fraud.
The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, had on 26 April 2024, written a letter to the NSCDC CG, inviting the 10 indicted NSCDC officers for questioning.
According to a document exclusively obtained by our The PUNCH, the officers involved were scheduled to be questioned by the EFCC from 2 May 2024, and beyond.
The 10 invited NSCDC officers are – Victor Olanrewaju Fayemi, Anthony Akpan Uwen, Patrick Babatunde, Comfort Danladi, Akibi Michael Olusola, Umaru Usman Karshi, Adewale Kukoyi, Joseph Ajayi Ibitulo, and Mrs A.A. Jonathan, Paul Ahepa, the EFCC invitation revealed.
The alleged N7.5 billion fraud was linked to several contractors and the monies traced to some Bureau de Change operators through whom the senior NSCDC officers allegedly laundered the money.
The PUNCH reports that impeccable sources privy to the development, but were not authorised to speak to the press due to the sensitive nature of the matter, disclosed the development.
A source revealed, “The EFCC is investigating the alleged diversion of N7.5 billion by contractors working with the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi.
“The funds shared to contractors’ accounts have been identified and linked to BDC operators, all of whom were invited and have been grilled by the EFCC interrogators”.
It was learnt that the contractors involved in the alleged fraud were also invited for questioning as the EFCC investigation progressed.
A source noted, “EFCC investigators discovered that payments were made to a total of 20 contractors, while the sum of N2 billion was allocated to three major contractors each of whom own five companies. Each of the contractors received a retention fee of five per cent. The EFCC has sent invitation letters to the contractors.
“All the contractors have been interrogated except for the only woman amongst them who has been working tirelessly to avoid interrogation. The woman received over N1 billion, and all the funds were discovered to have been converted to US dollars”.
Further confirming the development, another impeccable source revealed that the indicted contractors had made useful statements that led to the recovery of about N1 billion by the EFCC.
The source said, “The contractors made useful statements that led to the recovery of approximately N1 billion by the EFCC.
“One of the contractors informed us that they were planning to start a protest at the office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to seek assistance, as they feel that Ribadu is the only senior Federal Government official who can help them reach out to the NSCDC CG.
“They confessed that they applied for jobs as contractors, only to learn that the jobs were already executed on their behalf by senior NSCDC officers”.
Further revelations about the matter indicated that a certain indicted contractor, amongst others, had yet to honour the EFCC’s invitation.
The contractor was said to have received N1 billion.
“It was discovered that at the NSCDC, these payments were meant for jobs that had already been executed, but the contractors whose companies’ names were attached to the contracts had not been paid”, the source said.
Meanwhile, it was further gathered that EFCC investigators discovered that NSCDC staff members were underpaid for the recently-concluded elections, as sources at the NSCDC claimed that the staff members were underpaid compared to staff members at other sister agencies.
An earlier report on Tuesday disclosed that senior officers were being grilled by EFCC interrogators at the commission’s Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja.
The PUNCH exclusively gathered that the NSCDC officers were handed over to the EFCC on the order of the NSCDC CG, Audi.
