ICPC files charge against five directors over N605m fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a charge against five directors of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, accusing them of among others, defrauding the ministry of N605m between July 2013 and October 2014.

They are Yusuf Agabi (Director of Finance and Account),  Akpore Okeroghene (Deputy Director of Fiance), Abibu Ayinla (Director of Finance), Idowu Adewale (Deputy Director Accounts) and Ngozi James (Deputy Director Accounts).

They were to be arraigned yesterday  before Justice Husseini Baba of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja on the 46-count charge, but for the absence of some of the accused in court.

Justice Baba has fixed  September 16  for their arraignment.

The accused persons, who were at various times Directors of Finance and Deputy Directors of Finance in the Niger Delta Ministry, allegedly siphoned the money from the Constituency Project account of the ministry under fraudulent claims.

ICPC’s Chief Legal Officer, Paul Ahmed, who signed the charge filed on July 7, alleged that the accused persons fraudulently withdrew the total sum of N605m from the Constituency Project account of the ministry without authorisation.

The ICPC also alleged that the accused persons perpetrated the fraud using fictitious claims through payment vouchers containing false information.

Some of them were said to have used the proceeds to build private houses.

Part of the charge reads: “That you Ayinla Abibu (m) in the month of March 2013 or thereabout, at Abuja, being a public officer to wit: Director of Finance at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, did receive for yourself through a ZEOCAT NIG LTD, the sum of N60m  belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria knowing same to have been obtained fraudulently from the account of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs which you used to build a house at Ogbomosho, Oyo State, for yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 13 and punishable under section 68 of the Corrupt Practices Act 2000.

“That you Yusuf Mohammed Agabi, Akpore Okeroghene, Idowu Anthony Adewale and Ntu  James Ngozi, between months of January 2013 and December 2013, at Abuja being agents of the Federal Government did engage in a criminal conspiracy to present documents to your principal which were defective in material particular and designed to mislead for the purposes of fraudulently obtaining various sums of money from your principal thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 26(1)(c)and  punishable under Section 17(1)(c)of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.”