N6.25bn COVID-19 palliatives fraud: Senate plans NDDC chiefs’ arrest

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, on Monday,  requested  a warrant of arrest on the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission to produce the former interim management  of the agency, led by Professor Daniel Pondei.

The Senate panel resolved that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, be contacted by the executive arm of government through the Senate leadership to produce Pondei and his team before the ethics committee on March 9.

Pondei and his team have ignored several invitations by the Senate panel over the petition against them by the Chairman of the agency’s COVID-19 Palliative Distribution Committee, Ambassador Sobomabo Jackrich.

The panel had last month asked the top staff members to appear before the Senate panel on February 22 to explain how they allegedly spent N6.25bn on COVID-19 palliatives last year.

The panel sat on Monday and discovered that the Pondei-ed IMC still shunned the invitation extended to them.

The Chairman of the panel, Senator Patrick Akinyelure, said the committee had no choice than to order a warrant of arrest on the current management of the agency to produce Pondei and his team.

Akinyelure said, “This is the fifth time our committee will summon the former interim management committee of the NDDC to appear before us, but they have always ignored our summonses.

“We hereby resolve to request a warrant of arrest to be issued on the Sole Administrator of the NDDC, Effiong Akwa, to produce Pondei and his team.” Punch