Crime
NSITF Explains N17.15 Billion Senate Probe
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has stated that the 2018 audit report by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation which raised 50 queries on misappropriation of N17.158 billion had nothing to do with the current management which came into office on June 1, 2021.
In a statement Monday in Abuja, by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NSITF, Ijeoma Okoronkwo, the fund stated that the financial violations were committed under the management that ran the agency between 2012 and 2017.
It stated that the probe by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts was in exercise of its statutory oversight functions, “it is overly important to inform the general public that what is under investigation, are not new infractions but cumulative financial violations under the management that ran the agency between 2012 and 2017.
“These infractions are not new. They have in fact been subject of probe since the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation first raised the red flag in 2015. We make it clear therefore that the negative trails of these breaches, have nothing to do with the present management beyond assisting the Senate Committee, carry out its oversight functions, knowing full well, that government is a continuum.
“On record, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) has probed and taken the former Chairman of the Board and five other senior officials, including the Managing Director and three Directors to court over some of the issues.
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“Huge sums of money as well as property were also recovered, while some of the indicted staff members were equally removed from office.
“Indeed, when the Senate Committee initiated this current probe, the Managing Director, Dr. Michael Akabogu set up an internal committee to retrieve from First Bank and Skye Bank respectively, detailed transactions involving the fund under the period in probe. The documents were subsequently submitted to the Senate Committee.”
Against the background of reports that the documents used for the transactions under probe have been eating up by termites, the NSITF explained that the contents of the container where they were kept in the premises of the fund had succumbed to elements.
“However, when the Senate Committee further called for the vouchers backing up the transactions, Dr. Akabogu requested that the former Managing Directors under whose tenures, the transactions were made, be invited to provide further answers especially with regards to the vouchers.
“The current management is not in possession of the vouchers and hence, informed the Senate Committee that the contents of the container in the premises of the fund, where the former Managing Directors allegedly left the vouchers have succumbed to the elements.
‘And that this can be substantiated from memos, hitherto written by the fund’s General Services Department on the state of the facility in question,” it said.
Okoronkwo said the statement became necessary to forestall further wrong finger-pointing and mischief in a section of the media directed at the current management of the NSITF.
According to her, the NSITF has since the current management team charted a new course with strategic reforms, strongly anchored on transparency and already, producing positive results
A Kaduna High Court on Tuesday ordered that two brothers be remanded in a correctional centre for alleged culpable homicide and armed robbery.
The police charged Hamza Jibrin, 27 and Yusuf Jibrin 24, with conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide.
Justice Aisha Shagari ordered the remand of the defendants, after they pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.
Shagari adjourned the matter until Dec. 12 for hearing.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, James Edward, said that the defendants and two others at large, while armed with matchete and other dangerous weapons along Airport Road, Kaduna, on Nov. 7, robbed and caused the death of a 26-year-old man, Rabiu Sani.
He said the defendants stole the deceased’s HP laptop, two cell phones, his wallet which contained two ATM cards and cash sum of N30,000.
Edward said that the offence is punishable under the Robbery and Firearms ( Special Provision) Act LFN, 2004.
The Defence counsel, Habiba Usman, had pleaded with the court to grant her clients bail.
Usman while moving her bail application, urged the court to gtant her client bail on literal terms, adding , that the defendants would be of good behaviour and would not jump bail.
A Jos Magistrates’ Court on Monday sentenced a 20-year-old trader, Darwang Chung, to nine months in prison for attempted theft.
Chung, who resides at Gyel in Jos South, pleaded guilty to the one count charge of attempted theft.
The Magistrate, Mr Shawomi Bokkos, summarily tried and sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Bokkos, in his judgement, gave the convict an option of N30,000 fine, or to risk six months in prison and a compensation of N15,000 or another 3 months in prison in default.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Labaran Ahmed, told the court that the case was reported on Oct. 6, at the”B” Division Police Station by one Yohanna Dalyop, the complainant.
Ahmed said the convict jumped over the fence into the house of the complainant and was caught.
He said that the offence contravened the Plateau State Penal Code Law.
The Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Police, on Tuesday arraigned a defendant before a Federal High Court in Lagos, over alleged unlawful interception of digital infrastructure.
The defendant, Ayodeji Oyenekan, was charged before Justice A. Aluko, on a three-count charge bordering on cybercrime.
He, however. pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, Mr M. Y. Bello, told the court that the defendant committed the offence sometime in February 2022.
He, alleged that the defendant intentionally and without authorisation, intercepted digital infrastructure server hosted by Amazon Web Services, property of Meplaylist Classic Entertainment.
According to the prosecution, the defendant caused the said Meplaylist Classic Entertainment Ltd. loss of property, by altering Amazon Web services, which restricted the rightful owner access to its server.
He alleged that the defendant inputted his email address ayodeji.oye@meplaylist.com, and allegedly built a mobility startup called Hellobikee, for purposes of conferring economic benefits to himself.
The defendant was also alleged to have fraudulently made use of the electronic unique identification feature of Meplaylist, through his email, for purposes of conferring economic benefits to himself.
The offence contravenes the provisions of sections 12(1), 16(1), and 22(2)(a) of the Cybercrime ( Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015.
The court granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million with one surety in like sum.
The court held that the defendant shall remain in the correctional facility, pending perfection of all conditions of bail as spelt out by the court.
He adjourned the case until Jan. 21, 2025, for trial.
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