The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into an alleged N7.5bn fraud, involving senior officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and contractors associated with them.
Following a letter from EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede to the NSCDC Commandant General (CG) Ahmed Audi on April 26, 2024, ten indicted NSCDC officers have been summoned for questioning, alongside ten linked contractors.
Scheduled interrogations of the officers by EFCC commenced from May 2, 2024, onwards, according to a document obtained exclusively by our correspondent.
Among those invited for questioning are Victor Olanrewaju Fayemi, Anthony Akpan Uwen, Patrick Babatunde, Comfort Danladi, Akibi Michael Olusola, Umaru Usman Karshi, Adewale Kukoyi, Joseph Ajayi Ibitulo, Mrs A.A. Jonathan, and Paul Ahepa.
The alleged fraud of N7.5bn involves various contractors, with funds traced to Bureau de Change operators through whom senior NSCDC officers purportedly laundered money.
Sources familiar with the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, disclosed that the EFCC is scrutinizing payments to contractors and their subsequent conversion to US dollars.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the contractors, except for one female contractor, have been interrogated, leading to the recovery of approximately N1bn.
Some contractors allegedly confessed to applying for jobs unaware that they had been executed by senior NSCDC officers.
Notably, one contractor who received N1bn has yet to comply with the EFCC’s summons.
Additionally, revelations suggest NSCDC staff may have been underpaid for recent election duties compared to counterparts in other agencies.
Senior NSCDC officers are reportedly undergoing questioning at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja following orders from NSCDC CG Audi, with both EFCC and NSCDC spokespeople unavailable for comment at the time of reporting.
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