DETECTIVES at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are questioning a Federal Permanent Secretary and two directors in some ministries for allegedly stealing about N14.3billion Police Pension cash.
The suspects, The Nation learnt yesterday, explained how they looted the pension funds.
The three suspects, whose names could not be immediately confirmed last night, have been released on bail, pending the conclusion of the investigation. But their passports have been seized to restrict their movement to the country.
An EFCC source, who pleaded not to be named because the matter is under investigation, said: “The Permanent Secretary and the two directors were at various times Director of Police Pension Funds. During interrogation, one of them admitted embezzling N1.9billion; the second said he mismanaged over N3billion and the third confessed to fiddling with N8billion.
“One of the suspects has retired from service. He has revealed where he kept the loot and how he spent some.
“We have written the Head of Service, Alhaji Isa Bello Sali, but we have not concluded investigation. All the suspects are on bail pending further action on the case.”
Responding to a question, the EFCC source added: “We deliberately did not release their names to the public in order not to jeopardise ongoing investigation. But they will be known at the appropriate time.”
As at press time, it was gathered that the serving Permanent Secretary and director have not been suspended from duty.
A source in government said: “The Civil Service Rules are rigid. You cannot just suspend, unless you have been indicted or arraigned in court. We have not heard the final word from the EFCC.”
The Pension Reform Task Team leader, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, has refuted the fraud allegation levelled against his team by the Assistant Chief Accountant in the Police Pensions’ Office, Mr. Toyin Ishola.
Ishola had told the Senate Joint Committee on Establishment and Public Service and States and Local Government Administration, investigating the management and administration of pension funds that the Pension Reform Task Team is riddled with fraud.
The source said Maina insisted in a 50-page written submission to the committee that the PRTT has so far recovered N151.6 billion and £6 million in the past two years.
He said Maina stated that out of the recovered funds, N74 billion has been appropriated as part of the N4.877 trillion 2012 budget.
Another N24 billion was said to have been put aside as contingency for the harmonisation of arrears, particularly in the police, where officers in the cadre of (Assistant-Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police, are paid between N84,000 and N101,000 monthly.
Details from the documents showed that the two bank accounts in Fidelity Bank and United Bank for Africa (UBA) were opened with authorisation from the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) vide an August 9, 2011 letter with reference number AGF/TRY/RB/508/VOL I/20
The document showed Yakubu Kolawole Adeyemi, Edwin Ementa Nwokoye as the new signatories as at September 5, 2011, replacing Ishola and Mike Okoro.
The PRTT said it discovered that there were illegal withdrawals by staff of the Police Pension Office, using multiple cheques with fictitious names in excess of 30 cheques per day to withdraw cash from their banks.
Such illegal withdrawals amounted to N14 billion, it was learnt.
The PRTT, assisted by the law enforcement agencies have made substantial recovery of the stolen cash.
An employee of the Police Pension Office (names withheld) turned in N1 billion cash.
“Another surrendered three luxury estates with about 27 blocks of deluxe flats he built in Abuja,” the source said
On the alleged discovery of pension funds lodged in his brother’s account, Maina said while he is from Biu in Borno State, Danjuma Zubairu, the man referred to as his brother, hails from Kabba, Kogi State.
According to Maina, Zubairu is the Group Head, Private Banking, Abuja region of Fidelity Bank.
