FCTA suspends 13 officers over EFCC prosecution 

No fewer than 13 staffers of the Federal Capital Territory, have been suspended from office while awaiting the outcome of their financial crime cases being investigated by the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Permanent Secretary of FCT, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, while disclosing this
said that the anti- corruption programme of the
present administration under President Buhari, knows no sacred cows.

According to him, the suspension is in line with the Public Service Rule
030406, which states that, “where a prima facie case, the nature of which is
serious, has been established against an officer and it is considered
necessary in the public interest that he/she should forthwith be prohibited
from carrying out his/her duties, pending the determination of the case”.

The FCT administration therefore said that it has become expedient to suspend the officers in line with the extant rules.

Those in the first round of the clean-up exercise of the FCTA off were identified as Engr. Suleiman Idris, Assistant Director, Transportation Secretariat; Idris Usman, Assistant Director, Engineering Services Department; Mohammed Ishaq, Chief Planning Officer, Urban & Regional Planning Department; and Helen Olokpo, Principal Town Planning Officer, Urban & Regional Planning Department.

Also among the first set to face EFFC trials are Bamidele Olaitan,
Principal Education Officer, Education Secretariat; Ambrose Samchi,
Principal Accountant, Treasury Services Department; Hassan Argungu,
Principal Land Officer; Saba Mohammed, Senior Data Officer,
and Yusuf Baba, Senior Administrative Officer.

In the list according to the Permanent Secretary are Abdullahi Musa,
Senior Administrative Officer, Deeds Registrar’s
Office; Abraham Murtala Belel, Senior Accountant, Treasury Services
Department; Andrew Gwani, Land Officer;
and Abdulmalik Teina, Senior Accountant, Treasury Services Department.

Dr. Ajakaiye, however, stated that the wind of change
cut across all the departments of the FCTA to ensure that
proper administrative procedure is enshrined in the FCTA.