• ICPC seizes 24 property from three civil servants worth billions of naira

Firstclass newsline gathered that 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 source 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
Firstcclassnewsline.net