Anti-Corruption War Finally Begins: 24 Houses Seized in Abuja

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Related
Offences Tribunal has commenced a clampdown on
some very wealthy civil servants in the country, who
are leaving in questionable wealth.
Already, the agency has seized 24 property and
several big cars from three civil servants with just
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 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.
-#thepanaceareports
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