ICPC arraigns REA DFA over 1.8b diversion, manipulation of GIFMIS
By Saiki Okasime
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have arraigned the suspended Director of Finance and Account (DFA), Rural Electrification Agency, (REA), Sambo Abdullahi over the unauthorised diversion of funds valued at N1.8 billion, to personal accounts.
The matter which came up for hearing in the court before Justice Olajuwon of the Federal High Court Abuja, information obtained from the courts showed that Abubakar Abdullahi Sambo (M) sometime in March 2023 or thereabout while being a public officer in the employment of Rural Electrification Agency at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, ‘did with intent to defraud the said Rural Electrification Agency authorized and finalized the sum of N1,835,000.000, 00 (One billion eight hundred and thirty-Five Million Naira) in different tranches under the false pretence of project supervision exercise and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 6(4) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention Act, 2015).
The accused, Abdullahi was charged before the court for using his role to authorise and finalise payments without proper approvals, bypassing the legal processes through the Government Integrated Financial Information System platform (GIFMIS) of the REA to other staff who had been arraigned. (This shows that there is no substance, documents memo allowing this transaction).
The defendant is alleged to have made these unauthorized payments into the accounts of other staff in the accounts department, which were arraigned a week ago before Justice Emeka Nwite.
In the charge sheet, co-signed by Henry O Empire, Director Legal Services and Dr Osuoben Ekoi Akponimisinghi, Assistant Legal Officer of the ICPC, the scrutinized an unusual inflow of monies from the agency to Okojie H. Onomen N342m, Asuni Aminat N336m, Usman Kwa Kwa N298m, Shehu Abdullahi N433m, Emmanuel Titus N261m and Musa Karaye N165M. These transfers were made in tranches not to draw attention and were made in a manner that does not fall within the currency Transaction report.
Meanwhile at the bail hearing before Olajuwon at the High Court in Abuja yesterday, Abdullahi was granted bail for two hundred million naira only (N200m), 2 sureties in like sum, landed properties with original C/O within jurisdiction, evidence of tax clearance for 3 years and his passport photographs.
Similarly, Umar Musa Karaye, Emmanuel Pada Titus and Henrietta Okojie were granted bails in the sums of fifty million naira (N50M) each respectively, with two Sureties one in like sum and a respected citizen who swears to the affidavit of means, landed properties with original C/O, evidence of tax clearance for the past 3 years and passport photographs.
Meanwhile, further investigation shows that the GIFMIS and TSA platforms must have been compromised to launder funds at that sum to individual accounts between the DFA and his staff who are the Uploaders and the Reviewers by circumventing the entire process and using his password to access the GIFMIS portal.
However, the court adjourned the hearing of the suspended REA DFA to July 17 and other staff to July 10 respectively.
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