The Independent
Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Tribunal has commenced a clampdown on
very wealthy civil servants.
Already, the
agency has seized 24 property and several cars from three civil servants with
one of them having 18 property.
A document
obtained from the Office of the Chairman of the ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta, with the
title ‘Notice of Seizure of Movable and Immovable Properties Pursuant to
Section 45 (4) a – (b) of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Ac
2000, revealed that the commission seized the property from three officials of
the Ministry of Niger Delta.
It stated that
the property was seized because they were “excessive of the emoluments of the
affected officers.”
Although the
document, dated August 11, 2015, is silent on the status of the officials, it
was gathered that the three officials are all principal account officers of the
ministry, which has been one of the focuses of investigations by the ICPC in
recent times.
The Niger Delta
ministry officers listed in the document are Poloma Kabiru Nuhu, Mangset Longyl
Dickson and Daniel Obah.
The ICPC boss
said the decision to seize the property would be served on the appropriate Land
Registries and Departments in all the states where the property are situated.
He stated, “The
commission is investigating a matter involving some staff (members) of the
Niger Delta Ministry, with certain movable and immovable property owned by the
said staff.
“The commission
is of the opinion based on the aforementioned investigation that these movable
and immovable property owned by these people who are staff of the Ministry of
Niger Delta Affairs are excessive, having regards to their present emoluments
and all other relevant circumstances. The commission hereby notifies the entire
public that all movable and immovable properties owned by these staff (members)
and listed hereunder are seized.”
According to the
ICPC boss, one of the officers, Nuhu, has 10 hectares of land, covered by Right
of Occupancy at Kuje valued at N50m.
It was stated
that the same officer has an uncompleted duplex at Diamond Estate, Apo, Abuja,
that is worth N90m.
Nta also said
Nuhu has 16 plots of land which are all covered by Certificate of Occupancy in
different parts of Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Another civil
servant on the ICPC list, Dickson, is said to have a plot of land at Kubwa
District, Cadastral Zone, Abuja. The property is valued at N7m.
The third
official, Obah, is said to own different plots of land in Abuja and Port
Harcourt, Rivers State.
Nta said Obah has
a four-bedroom duplex at Karsana South District, Abuja, valued at N60m.
He is also said
to have a plot of land at Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Other plots of
land said to belong to Obah are located in Umuodili Odubo Community in Rivers
that is worth N16.5m; Olipobo Rumuekini Layout, Obio Akpor Local Government
Area valued at N18m and another plot at Livingstone Estate Umuogodo, Igbo Etche
in Obio Akpor Local Government of the Rivers State.
The PUNCH had
exclusively reported on July 30 that the Federal Government’s anti-corruption
operatives had been sent after ‘super rich’ public officers who had multiple
property and other assets suspected to have been the rewards of graft.
According to the
report, the searchlight of the anti-corruption agents was on civil servants
that possess questionable property in the Federal Capital Territory.
It was also
reported that operatives in the Assets Tracing, Recovery and Management Unit of
the ICPC had been asked to haul in suspects for interrogation and recovery of
ill-gotten assets in their possession.
The ICPC was
reported to have strengthened the ATRMU by posting more personnel to the unit
to ensure the success of its campaign.
On Wednesday, the
Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, had recommended the
recovery of about N183bn being funds meant for the development of Niger Delta
but which was allegedly diverted for other purposes.
Ukura, who stated
this in three special audit reports to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr.
Salisu Maikasuwa, explained that the amount was discovered in the periodic
checks carried out by his office on the activities and programmes of the Niger
Delta Development Commission between 2008 and 2012.
According to him,
N70.4bn was paid as mobilisation to various contractors who never reported to
site, while N90.4bn was the extra-budgetary expenditure for heads and sub-heads
without approval by the legal authorities.
He also said
N10bn was tax deductions without evidence of remittance to the Federal Inland
Revenue Service; N5.8bn was payment to contractors for projects not executed,
stalled or abandoned, while N1.2bn was undeducted taxes from contractors.
Ukura added that
N3.1bn was transfer made to unauthorised accounts; N1.7bn was staff outstanding
staff advances which were never accounted for and N785m out of N1.1bn meant for
the supply of furniture to various schools in Delta State was diverted.
He explained that
the funds for the furniture supply was certified paid whereas inspection
carried out by the Auditor-General’s office revealed that no single chair was
distributed during the period under review.