The anti-corruption war in Nigeria continued as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Tribunal has commenced a clampdown on very wealthy civil servants.
Already, the agency has seized 24 property and several cars from three civil servants with one of them having 18 property.
A document obtained from the Office of the Chairman of the ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, with the title ‘Notice of Seizure of Movable and Immovable Properties Pursuant to Section 45 (4) a – (b) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Ac 2000, revealed that the commission seized the property from three officials of the Ministry of Niger Delta.
It stated that the property was seized because they were “excessive of the emoluments of the affected officers.”
Although the document, dated August 11, 2015, is silent on the status of the officials, it was gathered that the three officials are all principal account officers of the ministry, which has been one of the focuses of investigations by the ICPC in recent times.
The Niger Delta ministry officers listed in the document are Poloma Kabiru Nuhu, Mangset Longyl Dickson and Daniel Obah.
The ICPC boss said the decision to seize the property would be served on the appropriate Land Registries and Departments in all the states where the property are situated.
He stated, “The commission is investigating a matter involving some staff (members) of the Niger Delta Ministry, with certain movable and immovable property owned by the said staff.
“The commission is of the opinion based on the aforementioned investigation that these movable and immovable property owned by these people who are staff of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs are excessive, having regards to their present emoluments and all other relevant circumstances. The commission hereby notifies the entire public that all movable and immovable properties owned by these staff (members) and listed hereunder are seized.”
According to the ICPC boss, one of the officers, Nuhu, has 10 hectares of land, covered by Right of Occupancy at Kuje valued at N50m.
It was stated that the same officer has an uncompleted duplex at Diamond Estate, Apo, Abuja, that is worth N90m.
Nta also said Nuhu has 16 plots of land which are all covered by Certificate of Occupancy in different parts of Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Another civil servant on the ICPC list, Dickson, is said to have a plot of land at Kubwa District, Cadastral Zone, Abuja. The property is valued at N7m.
The third official, Obah, is said to own different plots of land in Abuja and Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Nta said Obah has a four-bedroom duplex at Karsana South District, Abuja, valued at N60m.
He is also said to have a plot of land at Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Other plots of land said to belong to Obah are located in Umuodili Odubo Community in Rivers that is worth N16.5m; Olipobo Rumuekini Layout, Obio Akpor Local Government Area valued at N18m and another plot at Livingstone Estate Umuogodo, Igbo Etche in Obio Akpor Local Government of the Rivers State.
On Wednesday, the Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, had recommended the recovery of about N183bn being funds meant for the development of Niger Delta but which was allegedly diverted for other purposes.
Ukura, who stated this in three special audit reports to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Salisu Maikasuwa, explained that the amount was discovered in the periodic checks carried out by his office on the activities and programmes of the Niger Delta Development Commission between 2008 and 2012.
According to him, N70.4bn was paid as mobilisation to various contractors who never reported to site, while N90.4bn was the extra-budgetary expenditure for heads and sub-heads without approval by the legal authorities.
He also said N10bn was tax deductions without evidence of remittance to the Federal Inland Revenue Service; N5.8bn was payment to contractors for projects not executed, stalled or abandoned, while N1.2bn was undeducted taxes from contractors.
Ukura added that N3.1bn was transfer made to unauthorised accounts; N1.7bn was staff outstanding staff advances which were never accounted for and N785m out of N1.1bn meant for the supply of furniture to various schools in Delta State was diverted.
He explained that the funds for the furniture supply was certified paid whereas inspection carried out by the Auditor-General’s office revealed that no single chair was distributed during the period under review. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Yes!!!!!! Nigeria must work....our institutions are now working...the world must see that Nigerians abhor Corruption
ReplyDeleteIt's laffable that GEJ said he was never aware of all these looting during his administration. Thank God we stood up n voted him out. I see a better Naija coming.
ReplyDeleteThe better Nigeria you see coming didn't start that journey today. Even late Sunny Okosun saw it around 1981 and asked: WHICH WAY NIGERIA??
Delete
Delete“The fuel subsidy was N300 billion under former President Olusegun Obasanjo and it remained the same under President Umaru Yar’Adua.
“Within six months under President Goodluck Jonathan, the fuel subsidy rose from N300 billion to N1.9 trillion.
“Yet, Jonathan wanted more money for fuel subsidy....... Amaechi
Nigerians must have the names of these people. Publish their names in the hall of shame.
ReplyDeleteIf you publish those name nigerians will hail theM as long as they still have some more loot. We are morally bankrupt nation.
DeleteThese where suppose to be funds meant for development of the Niger Delta regions which was embezzled by the citizens of the same region.. honestly they should hand them over to their kinsmen for appropriate punishment..
ReplyDeleteWhile govt is hunting civil servants that have enriched themselves erroneously with public funds, they should as well consider the plight of those whom they have inflicted with poverty as a result of payment of unsustainable wages considering the present economic reality. Govt itself is even encouraging corruption among civil servants by tempting them with poverty. An Assistant Director cadre (GL 15) in Abuja earns about N150,000 monthly. Such a person must have spent over 20 years in civil service and is close to departure lounge. No house of his own, no sustainable pension, infact no nothing. Why wont they steal public fund. Thou its not a justification for the heinous crime, however prevention is better than cure.
ReplyDeleteI question is why is it now that these institution are working?
ReplyDeletePlease Alaibe APC is not a hiding place for you and your team of fraud, decamping from PDP will not cover you from being probe ICPC and EFCC of Buhari lead government
ReplyDeleteMembers of the former administration must be sweating like mad.... *lol*
ReplyDeleteThey never learn.
I also hope that Buhari traces the loot returned to Nigeria by European countries. If distributed equally to every single Nigerian in the country (expatriates and non-citizens not included), that money would've improved the economic status of a lot of people.
***Lush
Members of the former administration must be sweating like mad.... *lol*
ReplyDeleteThey never learn.
I also hope that Buhari traces the loot returned to Nigeria by European countries. If distributed equally to every single Nigerian in the country (expatriates and non-citizens not included), that money would've improved the economic status of a lot of people.
***Lush