Couple arrested for defrauding NHIS of N60m

The long arm of the law has caught up with a couple that allegedly defruaded the federal government of N60 million through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The couple, Ogunseye Tunde and Oyelaja Fumilayo were alleged to have fled to Ghana after committing the fraudulent act.

Fumilayo, who works with Clearline International Limited, a health management office, based in Lagos, had allegedly diverted the funds meant for health insurance to her personal accounts.

It was learnt that Fumilayo who was employed by the company in 2014, also indicted the health management office in the said fraud, saying the agency is also cheating the system.

Fumilayo had after diverting the said amount, taken her annual leave early this year and absconded with her lover and accomplice, Tunde, to Ghana.

The company however, uncovered the fraud after Fumilayo had left, prompting the firm to involve the police who launched an investigation into the fraud, while efforts were made to trace the whereabouts of the two fleeing fugitives.

But, the suspects were paraded by the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, at the Police Officers’ Mess in Ikeja, on Monday.

The prime suspect, Funmilayo, a mother of two in her confessional statement said: “ I had worked with Clearline International Limited since 2014.

What we do there is that when NHIS gives us money, the company spends a part of the money paying hospitals on the NHIS, while the excess is not refunded to NHIS purse, but diverted to the company’s personal account and records are also falsified.

“The money that I diverted on behalf of the company was N60 million, but the money I got was N38 million. My bosses, Kolawole Samuel and Patricia Oteh were all involved in the fraud. It was an insider in my office that called my husband telling him that we should run away.

“We travelled to Ghana, but my husband was arrested when he came to Nigeria a few weeks ago. On hearing of his arrest, I had to return to Nigeria to clarify issues. I am not alone in this. My office is also involved. My bosses Kolawole Samuel and Patricia Oteh were involved in the act. “

In his statement, Tunde said he was aware of the fraudulent act saying, “I helped her with processing the travel documents and we travelled together. I only came back to Lagos last week, when my mother died. It was at her burial in Ogba that I was arrested.”

A management staff of Clearline International Limited, Ijeoma Anyiam while speaking on how the fraud was detected, stated that the lid was blown open on the fraud when a hospital demanded to be paid for services rendered after Funmilayo had proceeded on her annual leave.

“They said how she was doing it was that anytime they called, she will tell them that it will be resolved and since that was her portfolio, she will take money meant for another hospital and pay them.

“So when they now complained and she was on vacation, someone else had to look into the matter and they found out we had paid on a particular date. We got their account number, investigated and that was how we found out the fraud,” she narrated.

Anyiam, who is also the general manager of the firm said the company will cooperate with the police in its investigation and ensure that indicted employees of the company are brought to book.