EFCC uncovers N1.5bn diverted pensions fund •Seals off estate, petrol stations

Posted by admin General Politics, Latest Politics Sunday, March 6th, 2011

INVESTIGATION by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into the alleged multibillion naira scam in the Pensions office has reportedly led to the discovery of another secret personal bank account containing N1.5 billion, believed to have been diverted from the scheme.

The latest discovery brought to N14.3 billion, money allegedly stolen from the scheme and said to have been lodged in three secret accounts by the former director of the office, Dr S.T Shuaibu and his deputy, Mrs Phiana Chidi, and a personal assistant to Shuaibu, one Aliu Bello.

The spokesperson of the commission, Mr Femi Babafemi, confirmed the fresh discovery.

The commission had said it had earlier traced N800 million to an account belonging to Chidi, who is now a deputy director in the Ministry of Transport, while another N12 billion was reportedly traced to the account of her former boss, Shuaibu, who is now the Director of Finance, Ministry of Petroleum.

Both Shuaibu and Chidi were said to be in the commission’s net, with Babafemi confirming their arrest.

It was gathered that operatives of the commission, at the weekend, sealed off two multi-million naira petrol stations believed to be owned by Shuaibu in Kogi State.

Operatives of the EFCC who were working on the case were said to have also uncovered a multi-billion naira housing estate being built in Sokoto by Bello and subsequently sealed it off.

Fictitious names were allegedly used as genuine pensioners by the former leadership of the Pensions office, to allegedly steal billions of naira from the scheme.

Chidi had earlier been arrested by the commission and released on administrative bail, with the commission saying it was on the trail of a former director who turned out to be Shuaibu and his aide, Bello.

A source in the commission noted that “while our operatives were working on the pensions committee, it was discovered that 141,970 pensioners are on the payroll of the Federal Government, but less than 90,000 pensioners were verified, while 34,000 are ghost workers.”wp_posts