N6bn contract fraud: Anxiety in NSCDC as Presidency orders probe

..Contractors, top officers quizzed

BY ORIAKU IJELE & EZE PHILIP

There are clear indications that the presidency has been under pressure to suspend the Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Audi, following multiple investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, concerning over ₦6 billion contract malfeasance allegedly discovered by a whistleblower.

Sunday Times gathered that the presidency has asked for more details of the alleged fraud involving some highly placed officials of the Corps and their contractors.

The source further said the EFCC boss was asked to take full responsibility and discreetly carry out investigation to ascertain the role of Audi in the contract fraud.

According to a source, such contracts couldn’t have been awarded without the inkling of the NSCDC helmsman and other senior officers of the Corps.

It was gathered that the probe has opened more allegations against Audi, more especially from petitions by some staff members concerning corrupt practices going on in the Corps, which include denying them of their allowances and other sundry entitlements.

Some of the contractors and senior officers held by the EFCC are still being grilled while some have been asked to go but to be reporting on daily basis at the Commission’s headquarters.

Meanwhile, a former prosecutor for the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Properties, Mr Tosin Ojaomo has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack Audi adding that he doesn’t deserve to still be in the office while the investigation is ongoing.

In his petition to the supervising minister of the Corps, and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Ojaomo is praying that for the immediate suspension of the Commandant General, NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Audi.

Ojaomo, had in his petition which he copied to President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, demanded that Audi be temporarily suspended pending the conclusion of ongoing investigation of corruption allegations against the NSCDC.

According to him, Section 8 of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Act, 2003 (As Amended) and Section 11 of the Interpretation Act, 2004, which he said empowered the Minister to recommend the appointment and removal from office of any person appointed by the President to the office of the Commandant General of the NSCDC.

The petition, dated Friday, May 15, 2024, reads: “We are compelled to make this request as the investigation of the agency cannot be thoroughly and discreetly conducted if the current Commandant General of the NSCDC is allowed to continue in office while the investigation continues because most of the financial activities of the agency which form the subject-matter of the investigation are conducted under the current CG’s watch.

“It will be in the interest of public safety and to safeguard the investigation process to prevent any possible interference in the investigation, that we request immediate recommendation of the suspension of the current commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to allow for an unfettered investigation into the subject matters of the investigation.”

Recall that recently, the EFCC arrested six senior officers of the NSCDC over alleged ₦6 billion fraud and two days later another 20 senior officers and their contractors were apprehended.

It was gathered that the arrests followed an order from the NSCDC Commandant General, who was alleged to have directed the handover of the officers to the EFCC for interrogation.

The senior officers are currently being grilled by EFCC interrogators at the commission’s headquarters, Jabi, Abuja.

One of the EFCC operatives who effected the arrests of the NSCDC officers said the officers were picked up on Monday on the order of the NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Audi.

But another source disclosed that the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, had on April 26, 2024, written a letter to the NSCDC CG, demanding the officers’ release for interrogation.

A staff of the NSCDC vowed that the NSCDC CG was not part of those arrested by the EFCC over the probed of the alleged N6bn fraud.

Meanwhile, 10 senior officers of the NSCDC were equally invited over an alleged N7.5bn fraud.

According to the EFCC source, the anti-graft agency also invited 10 contractors linked with the alleged fraud.

The document of the letter by the EFCC, to the NSCDC requesting the officers involved were scheduled to be questioned by the EFCC from May 2, 2024, and beyond.

According to the NSCDC source, NSCDC officers quizzed are Victor Olanrewaju Fayemi, Anthony Akpan Uwen, Patrick Babatunde, Comfort Danladi, Akibi Michael Olusola, Umaru Usman Karshi, Adewale Kukoyi, Joseph Ajayi Ibitulo, Mrs A.A. Jonathan, and Paul Ahepa.

It was reported that the alleged N7.5bn fraud was linked to several contractors and the monies traced to some Bureau de Change operators through whom the senior NSCDC officers allegedly laundered the money.

According to a source, “The EFCC is investigating the alleged diversion of N7.5bn by contractors working with the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi.

“The funds shared to contractors’ accounts have been identified and linked to BDC operators, all of whom were invited and have been grilled by the EFCC interrogators.”

It was learnt that the contractors involved in the alleged fraud were also invited for questioning as the EFCC investigation progressed.

A source noted, “EFCC investigators discovered that payments were made to a total of 20 contractors, while the sum of N2bn was allocated to three major contractors each of whom own five companies. Each of the contractors received a retention fee of five per cent. The EFCC has sent invitation letters to the contractors.

“All the contractors have been interrogated except for the only woman amongst them who has been working tirelessly to avoid interrogation. The woman received over N1bn, and all the funds were discovered to have been converted to US dollars.”

The indicted contractors had made useful statements that led to the recovery of about N1bn by the EFCC. “The contractors made useful statements that led to the recovery of approximately N1bn by the EFCC.

“They confessed that they applied for jobs as contractors, only to learn that the jobs were already executed on their behalf by senior NSCDC officers.”

“It was discovered that at the NSCDC, these payments were meant for jobs that had already been executed, but the contractors whose companies’ names were attached to the contracts had not been paid,” the source said.

Few days after the arrests of the Corps personnel, mystery huge amount of unsolicited funds were hitting the salary accounts of staffers.

A staff member who pleaded anonymity told Sunday Times that some NSCDC officials suddenly started seeing over N300,000, credited to their salary accounts without a subhead.

It was gathered that some of the funds were later withdrawn while others are still in those accounts.