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Tag: ICPC

  • ICPC didn’t invite me before declaring me WANTED, says Buhari’s former son-in-law

    ICPC didn’t invite me before declaring me WANTED, says Buhari’s former son-in-law

    Former son-in-law of President Muhammadu Buhari, Gimba Yau Kumo, said he was never invited by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before he was declared wanted.

    Kumo said this in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, which is dated May 18, 2021.

    The ICPC had last Thursday declared Kumo wanted alongside Tarry Rufus and Bola Ogunsola over the alleged fraud. In the notice signed by its Spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, the ICPC urged the public to provide information about the whereabouts of the wanted persons.

    He also said the ICPC violated its own act by declaring him wanted without prior invitation.

    “We were reliably informed by our client that he was never served with any official invitation in line with Section 29, 30, 31, and 32 of the ICPC Act, 2000, ” the letter read.

    “Since he left the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) his private office and home addresses are well known to the public as both the DSS and the EFCC have also effected service/invitation to him personally which he honoured without any hesitation on the same issues as he does not have anything to hide.

    “Suffice it to be noted that the same allegations were dully investigated by the DSS and the EFCC and reports have been sent to the President. All the documents ranging from the invitation letters and our client’s reply with the documentary proofs will be found if demanded.

    “Sir, it is instructive to ask why the witch-hunt? Why the hurry to declare our client wanted? Why the publication without properly inviting our client in accordance with the law? What actually is the aim behind these investigations having been investigated by the DSS and EFCC on the same subject matter?”

    Kumo asked the ICPC to follow due process, adding that he is ready to honour any invitation extended to him.

  • Presidency distances Buhari from WANTED ‘son-in-law’, says marriage to PMB’s daughter over

    Presidency distances Buhari from WANTED ‘son-in-law’, says marriage to PMB’s daughter over

    The Presidency has distanced President Muhammadu Buhari from fugitive, Gimba Yau Kumo, the former managing director of the Federal Mortgage Bank.

    The presidency on Friday revealed that Kumo’s wedding to Buhari’s daughter is long broken. This is coming after Kumo was declared wanted on Thursday by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in connection with a $65 million fraud.

    A statement from the Presidency that Kumo is no longer a son-in-law to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Fatima, second daughter of Buhari’s first wife, Safinatu got married to Kumo at a well attended ceremony in Daura in October 2016.

    President Buhari did not attend the event, as he was then away in the UK for medical attention.

    Born 7 March, 1975, Fatima was 41 years old, when she tied the nuptial knot with Kumo in Daura. She is now 46 years old.

    The wedding done in accordance with Islamic rites was attended by top federal and state government officials.

    Among dignitaries at the event were Ibrahim Dankwambo, then governor of Gombe, and Muhammad Abubakar, also then governor of Bauchi.

    Ministers such as Abdurrahman Dambazau (interior), Mansur Dan-Ali (defence), and Kayode Fayemi (solid minerals) also attended.

    “I am really surprised about the turn out because it was a short notice to everyone, so seeing so many people, I am very happy,” said Fatima in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, at the ceremony.

    The troubled marriage was kept off the radar, until Friday night, when the Presidency publicly dissociated President Buhari from Gimba Yau Kumo, Fatima’s supposed husband.

    Kumo was declared wanted on Thursday by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in connection with a $65 million fraud.

    Aso Rock was not happy with headlines describing Kumo as a son-in-law of Buhari.

    A statement by Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, declared Kumo a persona non-grata of sort, who “allegedly have been married to one of his daughters, Fatima, since 2016”.

    Shehu described the attempt to link the alleged fraudster as “an attempt to generate views and sell copies of sensational reporting”.

    According to the statement, the said marriage ended sometime back, without indicating the exact date it collapsed.

    The Presidency said the move by the ICPC only supports the authenticity of the administration’s fight against corruption, not minding who is involved.

    “This should normally be an affirmation that our anti-corruption agencies/institutions are truly independent and allowed unfettered freedom by the President. Which in fact is the case.

    “That a state institution can issue such is a measure of the administration’s commitment to accountability, equality and justice.

    “To set the records straight, the person declared wanted by the ICPC is not an in-law to President Buhari.

  • What we do with recovered funds, ICPC chairman reveals

    What we do with recovered funds, ICPC chairman reveals

    ICPC does not spend recovered funds, but pays them into Federal Government’s coffers, it chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, has said.

    Owasanoye told the Senate Committee on Finance investigating activities of revenue generating agencies of the Federal Government that ICPC had no retention powers over funds or assets recovered from corrupt people.

    ICPC spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, said in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday that Owasanoye told the committee that ICPC had a dedicated account for the recovery of proceeds of crime.

    All recovered funds are paid into the dedicated account called “ICPC Recovery Account’’ for onward payment into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federal Government once there were no encumbrances, he explained.

    “ICPC is not contemplated as a revenue generating agency. In the course of our work, we do recover funds. However, ICPC does not spend recovered assets. We do not use part of it for our work,’’ he stressed.

    He also told the committee that apart from recovering proceeds of crime, ICPC had also helped to boost tax revenue by bringing defaulters to book.

    He said ICPC had been able to bring defaulters into the tax net while investigating tax components of some transactions and that recovered funds were paid to the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

    Committee Chairman, Sen. Solomon Adeola, had earlier expressed concern that the country’s budget was becoming too dependent on loans, partly due to non-compliance to financial regulations by revenue generating agencies of government.

    He said the investigative hearing aimed to ensure that all revenue generating agencies complied with the Fiscal Responsibility Act which stipulated that 80 per cent of operational surplus be paid into the CRF.

    “Revenue generating agencies of government have taken solace and pleasure in diverting government’s money; taking care of frivolous expenditure and making provisions for them in audited accounts that are fictitious in nature.

    “The 2021 budget has a deficit of N6 trillion; government cannot continue this way,’’ Solomon said.

  • Nigeria loses $10bn to illicit financial flows – ICPC

    Nigeria loses $10bn to illicit financial flows – ICPC

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says Nigeria accounts for 20 per cent or 10 billion dollars (N3.8 trillion) of the estimated 50 billion dollars that Africa loses to Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs).

    Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, said this during a virtual meeting to review a report on IFFs in relation to tax, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson for ICPC, said in a statement released in Abuja on Friday.

    The ICPC Chairman said, “the African Union Illicit Financial Flow Report estimated that Africa is losing nearly 50 billion dollars through profit shifting by multinational corporations and about 20 per cent of this figure is from Nigeria alone.”

    The ICPC boss explained that taxes played “very strategic role in the nation’s political economy.”

    He said the objective of the meeting was to improve on the awareness on IFFs, especially in the areas of taxation.

    The ICPC boss added that the meeting would give participants the opportunity to openly discuss how to effectively use the instrumentality of taxation to curb IFFs through risk-based approach.

    “Risk-based approach, that is: monitoring and audit; due process in tax collection; structured tax amnesty framework skewed in public interest; data privacy; timely resolution of audits and payment of tax refunds and intelligence sharing among revenue generating, regulatory and law enforcement agencies,” he said.

    Owasanoye also stated that for the contemporary tax man to remain relevant, he must build his capacity in areas of technology management, solution architects and an astute relationship manager.

    The Executive Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Mr Muhammad Nani, expressed concerns that IFFs posed a serious threat to the Nigerian economy as the act robbed the nation of resources that were needed for development.

    Nani declared that tackling IFFs would expand the country’s tax base and improve revenue generation, which was required for development.

    He consequently pushed for policy reforms that would make it difficult for “capital flights” from occurring so that the country would be placed on the path of growth.

    Other discussants at the event identified weak regulatory framework, opacity of financial system and lack of capacity amongst others as some of the factors that fuelled IFFs.

    The discussants emphasised the need for capacity building of relevant stakeholders as one of the ways to stamp out illicit financial flows.

    They commended ICPC for leveraging its corruption prevention mandate to open a new vista in IFFs discourse in Nigeria.

  • ICPC clears Sanwo-Olu’s commissioner of corruption allegations

    ICPC clears Sanwo-Olu’s commissioner of corruption allegations

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has cleared the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, of corruption allegation.

    In a petition to ICPC dated March 2, 2020, the group, Parrot Deed International Network, had alleged that Akinbile-Yussuf, acquired some properties while she served as a commissioner in two ministries between 2015 and 2019, before her present position under the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration.

    The ICPC, in a letter detailing the outcome of its findings with reference number ICPC/OPS/GBP/DOP/674, which was addressed to the state government, said the commissioner had duly declared her assets before taking up public office.

    The anti-graft agency, in a copy of the letter, sighted by our correspondent, stated that it diligently investigated the allegations bordering on the unlawful acquisition of wealth and corrupt practices in public office and found nothing against Akinbile-Yussuf.

    The letter, signed on behalf of the Chairman of ICPC by the Commission’s Director of Operations, Akeem Lawal, read in part: ”It was alleged that the respondent, Hon. Uzamat Folasayo Akinbile-Yussuf maintained her position as a Director in Musaroq Nigeria Ltd while serving as a Commissioner. It was further alleged that she used her office and position to corruptly enrich herself, culminating in her acquisition of hotels, fuel stations, and other properties.

    ”Detailed investigation into the allegations was carried out with necessary documents and records carefully perused. Findings not only revealed that the respondent owns the alleged properties but that they were acquired before she was engaged in Public Service. The Commission took a step further to write to the Code of Conduct Bureau to ascertain what she declared and it was confirmed that the properties and other assets were duly declared.”

  • ICPC uncovers $919,000 hidden in bank by government officials

    ICPC uncovers $919,000 hidden in bank by government officials

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has discovered the sum of USD 919,202.07 (approximately N450 million) fraudulently hidden in a bank account by some officials of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    The ICPC said it acted on a petition instituted against the officials and has therefore obtained an interim forfeiture order on the money.

    Investigators in the Rivers State office of the commission traced the money that had been hidden to an interest yielding account.

    On discovery of the hidden money, the ICPC through its lawyer, Dr Agada Akogwu, filed an ex-parte motion for an interim order of forfeiture of the funds.

    In a statement, the ICPC said Justice Mohammed Sani of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, in his ruling, granted the commission’s prayers for interim forfeiture of the said sum pending the final hearing on the matter.

    The judge further ruled that the “orders of the court directing the interim forfeiture shall be published in any daily newspaper within 14 working days for any person interested in the said property sought to be forfeited to appear before the court to show cause why the final forfeiture orders are not made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

    The matter was adjourned to 14th December 2020 for reports and final forfeiture hearing.

  • Court fixes date to hear whistleblower’s N100m suit against ICPC

    Court fixes date to hear whistleblower’s N100m suit against ICPC

    The Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed Feb. 24, 2021, for hearing in a N100 million suit filed by a whistleblower, George Davidson, against the ICPC.

    Justice Nkeonye Maha , who adjourned the matter in her ruling, hinged the decision on the fact that parties in the suit had yet to be joined.

    Also joined in the N100 million suit is a civil servant, Regina Davidson.

    Davidson, through his lawyer, A. O. Osawaru, filed a motion on notice dated Oct. 19 for the enforcement of his fundamental rights against his alleged illegal detention by officers of the ICPC.

    He was said to have been detained in the commission cell on Oct. 13 without justification until Oct. 24 when he was moved to a police cell at the Federal Secretariat.

    He alleged that he was kept in the cell until Oct. 31 when he was released over an information supplied to the anti-corruption agency, through a non-governmental organisation, about Dominic, a grade level 9 federal civil servant.

    While the ICPC is the 1st respondent; Akeem Lawal, an ICPC Director of Operations; Offili Innocent, ICPC Investigator; Maman Kuru, ICPC Investigator; Kontagora Khadijat, ICPC operative; Mrs Regina Dominic and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) are 2nd to 7th respondents respectively.

    Osawaru, in the application, argued that no court had found the applicant guilty of any offence to warrant such detention.

    He sought the court’s declaration that the detention of his client by the ICPC and its agents (2nd to 5th respondents), at the behest of Mrs Dominic (6th respondent), was unlawful and unwarranted.

    “An order directing the 7th respondent (AGF) to take over and assign the applicant’s petition against the 6th respondent to another anti-corruption agency for a discreet investigation.

    “The sum of hundred million naira against the 1st to 6th respondents as damages/compensation for the illegal, unwarranted, unlawful and unconstitutional arrest and detention of the applicant.

    The lawyer also urged the court to direct the 1st to 5th respondents to refrain from further actions that could amount to the breach of Davidson’s fundamental rights, among others.

    Counsel to the applicant informed the court that the motion on notice was for the enforcement of fundamental rights of his client.

    When Justice Maha asked whether an issue had been joined, Osawaru responded that “after the close of work on Friday, we got informed that the 1st defendant filed a counter affidavit and preliminary objection which we have not seen till this moment.”

    “But if no issues have been joined, you have to take a date,” the judge said.

    “Hope he (Davidson) is not on detention,” Maha asked.

    “Upon hearing that the matter is before your honourable court, they released him,” Osawaru responded.

    Justice Maha then adjourned the matter until Feb. 24 for consolidated hearing of the substantive motion.

  • ICPC decries Nigeria’s loss to illicit financial flows

    Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), says Nigeria is losing about 60 per cent of its financial income to illicit financial flows.

    Owasanoye said this when a delegation of the NAN led by its Managing Director, Mr Buki Ponle, visited the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

    Illicit financial flow, which is illegally transferring money to another country, often occurs through trade overinvoicing.

    It occurs when exporters or importers deliberately misreport the value, quantity or nature of goods and services in order to evade taxes, take advantage of tax incentives, avoid capital controls or launder money.

    According to the ICPC Chairman, illicit financial flow is undermining Nigeris’s economic development.

    He blamed the corrupt practice on delinquent expatriates who engage in all forms of sharp practices to evade tax and compromise their host country’s internally generated revenue.

    ”Sharp practice like over invoicing for example is when a commodity that is sold at one dollar out there is tagged $100 here in Nigeria,” he said.

    Owasanoye, who affirmed the readiness of the agency to tackle such criminal acts, called for support from Nigerians.

    The ICPC Chairman said focus had remained on corruption among holders of public offices while illicit financial flow is worse.

    The anti graft chief reiterated the need to end the criminality by foreign companies, saying it remains a threat to the country’s financial stability.

    Earlier, Ponle had described corruption as a cankerworm that must be eliminated in the country if it must witness growth and development.

    The managing director, who commended the ICPC management for its sustained campaign against corruption in the country, pledged to partner the commission in its campaign.

    Ponle said NAN had evolved from a text-only agency to a multimedia outfit offering a bouquet of services which include audio, video and pictures.

    He urged the ICPC to embrace the diverse products and services on offer by NAN which includes SMS, NAN General News Service, NAN PR Wire as well as its flagship NAN Forum.

    NAN Forum is a popular interview platform for ministers, heads of MDAs and diplomatic missions as well as other leading members of the society.

    The highlight of the occasion was the exchange of souvenirs and publications by Owasanoye and Ponle.

  • Diversion of N2.67bn school feeding fund: ICPC clears air on Minister’s involvement

    Diversion of N2.67bn school feeding fund: ICPC clears air on Minister’s involvement

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has opened up on the purported involvement of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq on the diversion of the N2.67 billion school feeding funds.

    ICPC had reported that N2,67 billion meant for secondary school students in Federal boarding schools had been diverted.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the embattled minister had on Tuesday distanced herself and ministry from the alleged diversion and challenged the ICPC chair to publish names of those involved.

    However, the ICPC in a subsequent statement exonerated the minister while urging the public to disregard insinuations that its chairman was referring to the minister.

    Mrs Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson of the commission, in a statement on Tuesday said that the commission chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye’s speech was misquoted and urged the public to disregard such publication.

    Ogugua said that the commission’s chairman at its 2nd National Submit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector was misrepresented, as some reports erroneously implied that the ICPC boss was referring to Farouq.

    She said in the speech, Owasanoye stated that “we discovered payments to some federal colleges (secondary schools) for school feeding in the sum of N2.67b during the lockdown when the children were not in school.

    “And some of the money ended up in personal accounts. We have commenced investigations into these findings.

    “The Commission wishes to clarify that the “school feeding” referred to by the Chairman of ICPC was the feeding of boarding students in Federal Government Colleges who were all at home during the COVID-19 lockdown.

    “This is not the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme being managed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, ” she quoted the ICPC’s boss.

    She added that the public were hereby advised to disregard the said reports suggesting reference to the school feeding programme going on in primary schools.

  • Alleged diversion of N2.6bn school feeding funds: Buhari’s minister speaks

    Alleged diversion of N2.6bn school feeding funds: Buhari’s minister speaks

    The Minister of of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq has challenged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offence Commission, ICPC to publish the names of persons, federal colleges and school heads responsible for alleged diversion of N2.72b budgeted for School feeding during COVID-19 lockdown to private accounts.

    The Minister also challenged the anti-corruption agency to also publish details of the accounts where the missing funds were diverted.

    The Minister said this in a statement issued by her special adviser on media, Nneka Anibeze in reaction to presentation by the Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye at the 2nd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Owasanoye had at the summit said preliminary investigation by ICPC had indicated that part of the N2.67billion budgeted for school feeding was diverted to private accounts.

    He also claim that over N2.5 billion was misappropriated by a senior civil servant (name withheld) in the ministry of agriculture and now deceased, for himself and cronies.

    But the Minister said the statement by ICPC was twisted and misinterpreted by mischief makers to mean an indictment of the Minister and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

    But she noted that the Federal Government Colleges School feeding which the ICPC Chairman spoke about at the Summit is different from the Home Grown School Feeding which is one of the Social Investment Programmes under the supervision of the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry.

    She further noted “That the School Feeding under scrutiny is feeding of students in Federal Government Colleges across the country and is not under the Federal ministry of Humanitarian Affairs which only oversees Home Grown School Feeding for children in Primaries 1-3 in select public schools across the country.

    “That the over N2.5 billion which was reportedly misappropriated by a senior civil servant (name withheld) took place in a different ministry and not the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

    “That the ICPC recovered N16 billion worth of assets from the said ministry which was paid into an individual account for non-official purposes and not the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

    The Minister therefore described report linking her to the diversion of the funds as “malicious and unfair” while calling on ICPC to publish the names of persons, federal colleges and school heads whose names have been found to be associated with the missing funds and also freeze the accounts where the said funds were diverted.

    The Ministry also asked the general public to disregard the false reports being linked to the ministry as it is not in any way involved in the Federal Government Colleges School Feeding.