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Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has commenced probe against the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, over allegations bordering on N5.4 billion COVID-19 fraud.
Aside the embattled minister, others directly affected by the ongoing probe are mostly officials of the Niger/Delta Development Commission, NDDC, led by its acting managing Director, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei and 11 other directors of the commission.
Already, ICPC has quizzed top management staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and recovered documents on the diversion of funds, procurement fraud and misappropriation of N5.4 billion COVID-19 fund by the officials.
A highly placed source at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency said the commission was currently investigating Senator Akpabio over his alleged involvement in spending a whooping sum of N5.4billion COVID-19 funds was the supervising minister for the agency.
According to the source, the probe has to begin with the civil servants who are the employees of the agency before inviting the arrowhead of the agency.
He said that there would be massive arrests interrogation as well as thorough investigations will be carried on before letter of invitation will be extended to the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio.
The ICPC said some NDDC directors were interrogated at its headquarters in Abuja after months of intelligence gathering, following the receipt of petitions from Nigerians on the alleged illegalities and contract fraud by some officials of the agency.
ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua said the commission was also investigating the payment of millions of naira to staff of the NDDC for foreign training during the COVID-19 lockdown which they never attended, as well as the non-payment of entitlements to students on foreign scholarships.
Ogugua in a statement on Saturday titled ‘ICPC quizzes NDDC directors, other officials,’ said “the officials of the agency were also being investigated for their complicity in the alleged diversion of N5.474billion meant for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment for health workers handling the COVID-19 pandemic in the nine states of NDDC.
“Other allegations being investigated by the anti-graft agency include the selling of back-dated contract award letters for projects and awards of contracts that were not captured in the budget of the NDDC.
“ICPC had already retrieved relevant documents with which to continue investigations towards the recovery of diverted funds and prosecution of breaches of the law,” the commission stated.
Aside the embattled minister, others directly affected by the ongoing probe are mostly officials of the Niger/Delta Development Commission, NDDC, led by its acting managing Director, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei and 11 other directors of the commission.
Already, ICPC has quizzed top management staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and recovered documents on the diversion of funds, procurement fraud and misappropriation of N5.4 billion COVID-19 fund by the officials.
A highly placed source at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency said the commission was currently investigating Senator Akpabio over his alleged involvement in spending a whooping sum of N5.4billion COVID-19 funds was the supervising minister for the agency.
According to the source, the probe has to begin with the civil servants who are the employees of the agency before inviting the arrowhead of the agency.
He said that there would be massive arrests interrogation as well as thorough investigations will be carried on before letter of invitation will be extended to the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio.
The ICPC said some NDDC directors were interrogated at its headquarters in Abuja after months of intelligence gathering, following the receipt of petitions from Nigerians on the alleged illegalities and contract fraud by some officials of the agency.
ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua said the commission was also investigating the payment of millions of naira to staff of the NDDC for foreign training during the COVID-19 lockdown which they never attended, as well as the non-payment of entitlements to students on foreign scholarships.
Ogugua in a statement on Saturday titled ‘ICPC quizzes NDDC directors, other officials,’ said “the officials of the agency were also being investigated for their complicity in the alleged diversion of N5.474billion meant for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment for health workers handling the COVID-19 pandemic in the nine states of NDDC.
“Other allegations being investigated by the anti-graft agency include the selling of back-dated contract award letters for projects and awards of contracts that were not captured in the budget of the NDDC.
“ICPC had already retrieved relevant documents with which to continue investigations towards the recovery of diverted funds and prosecution of breaches of the law,” the commission stated.
