Corruption! EFCC charges military officers, bankers with N339m pension fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has charged two military officers and two officials of the United Bank of Africa Plc with fraud involving about N339m allegedly siphoned from the Military Pensions Board in February 2016.
In the four counts filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the four defendants were alleged to have obtained N339,374,478.58 from the MPB under the pretence that the money represented payments to the “supposed next of kins to dead military pensioners as death benefits.”
The two military officers named as defendants in all the four counts are a cashier with the MPB, Wing Commander Ishaka Yakubu; and an Assistant Director, Computer, with the pension board, Lt. Commander Akinbamidele Odunsi.
The two bankers also named as defendants in two out of the four counts are a Relationship Manager with UBA, Kuforodua branch, Abuja, Mrs. Abidemi Aderemi Kolade, and the manager of the branch of the bank, Mrs. Violet Ogoegbunam.
The case, comprising four counts of obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and abuse of office, was filed on May 31, 2017 and marked CR/212/2017.
It was signed by Steve Odiase of the EFCC’s Legal and Prosecution Department, Abuja.
The two bankers were only named in the counts one and two which had to do with conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence in respect of the alleged fraud involving N339,374,478.58.
Yakubu and Odunsi were named in all the four counts, as they were further charged, in counts three and four, with obtaining money under false pretence, and abuse of office by obtaining by false pretence in respect of N190m which they allegedly received out of the N390m.
The prosecution alleged that the N339m was diverted from the MPB account with UBA into different accounts.
It was alleged that the money was withdrawn from the various accounts by the beneficiaries of the alleged fraud.
The EFCC alleged that the transactions took place in February 2016.
The offences of obtaining money under false pretence were said to be contrary to Section 1(i) (a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, while the offences of conspiracy to obtain money under false pretence were contrry to Section 8(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
The offence of abuse of office by obtaining money by false pretences in count four, was said to be contrary to Section 19 of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under the same section.
The charges read in part, “Wing Commander Ishaka Yakubu’M’ being a cashier with the Military Pensions Board, Lieutenant Commander Akinbamidele Odunsi ‘M’ being an Assistant Director with the Military Pensions Board, Mrs. Abidemi Aderemi Kolade ‘F’, being a Relationship Manager with UBA Plc, at Kuforodua branch, Abuja, on or about February 2016, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain the sum of N339,374,478.58(three hundred and thirty three million, three hundred and seventy-four thousand, four hundred and seventy-eight naira fifty kobo) only from the Military Pensions Board under the false pretence that the said sum represented payments to the supposed next of kins to dead military pensioners as death benefits, that the said monies were paid and withdrawn in tranches, representation you knew to be false.
“Wing Commander Ishaka Yakubu’M’ being a cashier with the Military Pensions Board, and Lieutenant Commander Akinbamidele Odunsi ‘M’ being an Assistant Director with the Military Pensions Board, on or about February 2016, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, used your official offices to defraud and obtain various sums of money up to the tune of N190,000,000 (one hundred and ninety million naira) only by which means you confer the same amount to your unfair advantage upon yourself as public officers from the Military Pensions Board.”
No date has been fixed for the arraignment of the defendants. Punch
