The
acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr
Ibrahim Magu, has revealed how two army officers allegedly
connived with two
employees of the United Bank for Africa Plc to divert the sum of N339m from the
account of the Military Pensions Board (MPB).
In a letter
dated May 23, 2017 and addressed to the Chief of Defence Staff, Magu said the
suspects, who were later charged with fraud offences on May 31, 2017, allegedly
opened 33 accounts with UBA into which the funds belonging to MPB were
diverted, The Punch reports.
In the
letter with reference number EFCC/EC/CDS/66/16, the acting Chairman of the
anti-graft agency said that the total sum of N339,374,478.58 was withdrawn from
the MPB account across the counter or transferred to other accounts in the
bank.
The two
military officers accused in all the four counts filed before the High Court of
the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja are Wing Commander Ishaka Yakubu; and an
Assistant Director, Computer, with the MPB, Lieutenant Commander
Akinbamidele Odunsi.
The two
bankers named as defendants in two out of the four counts are a Relationship
Manager with UBA, Kuforodua (Wuse Zone 2) branch, Abuja, Mrs Abidemi Kolade,
and the Manager of the branch, Mrs Violet Ogoegbunam.
Presenting
the Chief of Defence Staff with an update on the progress of the investigation
on the case, prior to the filing of the charges, Magu said the bankers
compromised the ‘Know Your Customer’ requirements in collusion with military
officers in the opening of the 33 accounts used in diverting the MPB’s funds.
He said:
“Investigation discovered that fraudulent accounts were opened by the Business
Manager, Mrs Violet Ofoegbunam, and relationship manager, Mrs Kolade Aderemi
Abidemi, thereby compromising the ‘Know Your Customer’ requirements with the
connivance of the two military officers.
“Thirty-three
accounts were identified to have fraudulently received payments to the tune of
N339,374,478.58 from Military Pensions Board between April and June 2016.”
The acting
EFCC boss further said that the bankers and their spouses were also among the
beneficiaries of the alleged fraud.
He stated
that UBA had discovered the alleged scam after the bank’s team of auditors
detected ‘some suspicious movement of funds from the accounts of supposed next
of kins of deceased soldiers and officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Magu noted
that all the 33 accounts into which the money was diverted had been frozen,
adding that out of the stolen N339m, the sum of N314m had been recovered and
kept in the EFCC Recovery Account.
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