THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it had traced N12 billion to the personal bank accounts of two former Directors of the Pension Board as investigation deepened in the alleged multi-billion naira scam rocking the scheme.
Commission’s spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi confirmed to Sunday Tribune that the said sum of money was uncovered in the directors’ secret accounts which were used to allegedly steal billions from the scheme using fictitious pensioners’ names.
He also disclosed that arrests had been made over the discovery, with a former Director of the scheme; Dr. S.B Shuaibu, already arrested and detained.
Shuaibu is currently the Director of Finance, Ministry of Petroleum.
Also arrested was Mrs. Phiana Chidi, a former Deputy Director of the scheme in whose account another N800 million was reportedly found.
The duo, according to a source at the anti-corruption commission, opened three secret accounts while heading the Pension Scheme and allegedly diverting an average of N1 billion monthly.
Chidi, who is now a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Transport , had earlier been arrested by the commission and released on administrative bail.
The secret accounts had been reportedly frozen.
Head of Service of the Federation, Professor Oladipo Afolabi, during a courtesy call on the chairman of the commission, Mrs Farida Waziri, hinted at the possible fraud in the system, saying that the pensions wages had gone down drastically when the commission stepped into the disbursement of the funds.
He had noted that the monthly bill for the Federal Government reduced with close to a billion naira when the anti-corruption agency began its investigation.
A source in the commission noted that “while our operatives were working on the pensions committee, it was discovered that 141,970 pensioners are on the payroll of the Federal Government, but less than 90,000 pensioners were verified, while 34,000 are ghost workers.”
Commission’s spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi confirmed to Sunday Tribune that the said sum of money was uncovered in the directors’ secret accounts which were used to allegedly steal billions from the scheme using fictitious pensioners’ names.
He also disclosed that arrests had been made over the discovery, with a former Director of the scheme; Dr. S.B Shuaibu, already arrested and detained.
Shuaibu is currently the Director of Finance, Ministry of Petroleum.
Also arrested was Mrs. Phiana Chidi, a former Deputy Director of the scheme in whose account another N800 million was reportedly found.
The duo, according to a source at the anti-corruption commission, opened three secret accounts while heading the Pension Scheme and allegedly diverting an average of N1 billion monthly.
Chidi, who is now a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Transport , had earlier been arrested by the commission and released on administrative bail.
The secret accounts had been reportedly frozen.
Head of Service of the Federation, Professor Oladipo Afolabi, during a courtesy call on the chairman of the commission, Mrs Farida Waziri, hinted at the possible fraud in the system, saying that the pensions wages had gone down drastically when the commission stepped into the disbursement of the funds.
He had noted that the monthly bill for the Federal Government reduced with close to a billion naira when the anti-corruption agency began its investigation.
A source in the commission noted that “while our operatives were working on the pensions committee, it was discovered that 141,970 pensioners are on the payroll of the Federal Government, but less than 90,000 pensioners were verified, while 34,000 are ghost workers.”
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