How strange gift of N585m house
landed Jonathan’s Chief of Staff in
trouble
...
...
•EFCC grills ex-Permanent Secretary over
looting of N27b, watch-lists insurance firm
boss
Erstwhile Chief of Staff to ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan, Brig. Gen. Jones
Oladehinde Arogbofa (rted), would have
probably stayed out of trouble today with the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) but for a rather strange gift, The
Nation can now reveal.
Some public officers dipped their hands into
the national purse and stole N27,
188,232,208.20 and then proceeded to
purchase a N585million house which they
presented to him as a gift.
The money was the benefits of deceased
staff of the defunct Power Holding Company
of Nigeria (PHCN).
The deal has now blown into the open with
the EFCC taking Arogbofa into custody.
He was subsequently quizzed following which
he agreed to refund about N150million of the
terminal benefits which was traced to the
property purchased for him.
It was learnt that the anti-graft agency has
also grilled a former Permanent Secretary in
the Ministry of Power who played a role in the
diversion of the cash.
More heads may roll in government on the
diversion of the funds.
Informed sources said those who looted the
dead workers benefits decided to involve top
government officials in the deal to cover up
their tracks.
About 10 of such officials are currently under
surveillance.
The coordinators of the deal were said to
have paid cash to or buy expensive gifts for
the affected officials.
One of the source said: “The perpetrators of
the fraud pretended they were doing Arogbofa
a favour by virtue of his closeness to ex-
President Jonathan. They told him that they
had a gift for him which turned out to be the
N585million house.
“Having trusted those who gave him the gift,
the ex-Chief of Staff did not either ask for the
source of funds for the property or how much
it cost.
“It was at the EFCC that Arogbofa got to
know that the property was bought from the
looted the N27, 188,232,208.20 benefits of the
deceased staff of the defunct Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
“When he met a former Permanent Secretary
in the Federal Ministry of Power, who played
some roles in the diversion of funds, and
others, they started apologizing for roping him
in.
“But it was too late for the former Chief of
Staff and all those implicated in the dirty
deals. The long arm of the law does not
accommodate ignorance.
Responding to a question, the source added:
“We have interrogated the ex-Permanent
Secretary but investigation is still ongoing on
his roles in the diversion of the funds. This is
why we will not disclose his identity to
prevent a cover up by other accomplices.
“Preliminary findings pointed to him as one of
the arrowheads of the fraudulent diversion of
the N27.18billion.
“We have already watch-listed a top official of
Bestworth Insurance Brokers Limited that was
used by the suspects under probe. This
means, INTERPOL or any other international
organisation can arrest him in any part of the
world.”
The source said Arogbofa has agreed to
refund N150million traced to the property
purchased for him.
“In fact, he has made partial payment to the
EFCC and he promised to bring the balance
next week.”
The EFCC had frozen N6, 811, 846,443.05 in
the accounts of some companies belonging to
Mr. Roberts Azibaola, a cousin to ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan and Bestworth Insurance
Brokers Limited in its ongoing probe.
The frozen cash was part of the N27,
188,232,208.20 benefits of the deceased staff
of the defunct Power Holding Company of
Nigeria (PHCN), which were diverted.
Those under probe are Arogbofa; Dikki; Kebna
Studio and Communication Limited; a former
Accountant-General of the Federation, Otunla
Dapo; the Managing Director of Kakatar Group,
Azibaola Roberts; Director of Funds in the
Office of the Accountant-General of the
Federation, Mohammed K. Dikwa,; Innovative
Alternative Limited and a top official of
Bestworth Insurance Brokers Limited, who
was said to be on the run as at press time.
The EFCC said sometime in 2014, the above
named “conspired amongst themselves and
used Bestworth Insurance Brokers Ltd to
divert N27,188,232,208.20 from the Federal
Government of Nigeria through the BPE.
landed Jonathan’s Chief of Staff in
trouble
...
...
•EFCC grills ex-Permanent Secretary over
looting of N27b, watch-lists insurance firm
boss
Erstwhile Chief of Staff to ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan, Brig. Gen. Jones
Oladehinde Arogbofa (rted), would have
probably stayed out of trouble today with the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) but for a rather strange gift, The
Nation can now reveal.
Some public officers dipped their hands into
the national purse and stole N27,
188,232,208.20 and then proceeded to
purchase a N585million house which they
presented to him as a gift.
The money was the benefits of deceased
staff of the defunct Power Holding Company
of Nigeria (PHCN).
The deal has now blown into the open with
the EFCC taking Arogbofa into custody.
He was subsequently quizzed following which
he agreed to refund about N150million of the
terminal benefits which was traced to the
property purchased for him.
It was learnt that the anti-graft agency has
also grilled a former Permanent Secretary in
the Ministry of Power who played a role in the
diversion of the cash.
More heads may roll in government on the
diversion of the funds.
Informed sources said those who looted the
dead workers benefits decided to involve top
government officials in the deal to cover up
their tracks.
About 10 of such officials are currently under
surveillance.
The coordinators of the deal were said to
have paid cash to or buy expensive gifts for
the affected officials.
One of the source said: “The perpetrators of
the fraud pretended they were doing Arogbofa
a favour by virtue of his closeness to ex-
President Jonathan. They told him that they
had a gift for him which turned out to be the
N585million house.
“Having trusted those who gave him the gift,
the ex-Chief of Staff did not either ask for the
source of funds for the property or how much
it cost.
“It was at the EFCC that Arogbofa got to
know that the property was bought from the
looted the N27, 188,232,208.20 benefits of the
deceased staff of the defunct Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
“When he met a former Permanent Secretary
in the Federal Ministry of Power, who played
some roles in the diversion of funds, and
others, they started apologizing for roping him
in.
“But it was too late for the former Chief of
Staff and all those implicated in the dirty
deals. The long arm of the law does not
accommodate ignorance.
Responding to a question, the source added:
“We have interrogated the ex-Permanent
Secretary but investigation is still ongoing on
his roles in the diversion of the funds. This is
why we will not disclose his identity to
prevent a cover up by other accomplices.
“Preliminary findings pointed to him as one of
the arrowheads of the fraudulent diversion of
the N27.18billion.
“We have already watch-listed a top official of
Bestworth Insurance Brokers Limited that was
used by the suspects under probe. This
means, INTERPOL or any other international
organisation can arrest him in any part of the
world.”
The source said Arogbofa has agreed to
refund N150million traced to the property
purchased for him.
“In fact, he has made partial payment to the
EFCC and he promised to bring the balance
next week.”
The EFCC had frozen N6, 811, 846,443.05 in
the accounts of some companies belonging to
Mr. Roberts Azibaola, a cousin to ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan and Bestworth Insurance
Brokers Limited in its ongoing probe.
The frozen cash was part of the N27,
188,232,208.20 benefits of the deceased staff
of the defunct Power Holding Company of
Nigeria (PHCN), which were diverted.
Those under probe are Arogbofa; Dikki; Kebna
Studio and Communication Limited; a former
Accountant-General of the Federation, Otunla
Dapo; the Managing Director of Kakatar Group,
Azibaola Roberts; Director of Funds in the
Office of the Accountant-General of the
Federation, Mohammed K. Dikwa,; Innovative
Alternative Limited and a top official of
Bestworth Insurance Brokers Limited, who
was said to be on the run as at press time.
The EFCC said sometime in 2014, the above
named “conspired amongst themselves and
used Bestworth Insurance Brokers Ltd to
divert N27,188,232,208.20 from the Federal
Government of Nigeria through the BPE.
No comments:
Post a Comment