EFCC seizes ASCSN officials’ passports over alleged financial fraud

The passports were seized due to allegations of financial fraud levelled against the officials.

ASCSN is a labour union affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) which has members cut across senior civil servants at both federal and state levels.

TrackNews recalls that the union has in the last few months been engulfed by a series of crises.

The EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) had commenced a probe of some officials of the union.

Our correspondent also gathered that some officials of the union had been invited by the EFCC over alleged financial fraud.

However, on Monday, the EFCC has seized the passports of the Secretary-General of ASCSN, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal; Deputy Secretary-General of ASCSN, Comrade Joshua Apebo; and that of the FCT Secretary/Head of Admin, Comrade Issac Ojemhenke.

Sources within the union told TrackNews on Monday that the EFCC also mandated Apebo to report monthly to its Abuja office pending when investigations are concluded on the ongoing probe within the union.

Former Chairman of ASCSN in Oyo State, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, confirmed the seizure of passports of the officials.

Emelieze told TrackNews that members of the union were disturbed by the development.

He called on EFCC not to allow the investigations to be swept under the carpet.

He said, “As members of the union, we are disturbed by these ugly and horrible developments. It is worrisome that so-called comrades have been trading with the union to the extent that Comrade Lawal and some of his collaborators are now richer than the union. With the hundreds of millions of naira discovered in their accounts, the billions deposited in Meristem Securities Limited and their choice property in Lagos, Abuja and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Please see attached pictures of some of Lawal’s property in Lagos. We now know why Lawal is forcing himself on the union.

“We are also calling on the EFCC and its Chairman Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa not to allow these investigations to be swept under the carpet. We are aware that investigations are almost concluded. We are also aware of the confessions made and the revelations so far. We, the workers are following your investigations with keen interest, we are also aware of the clash of interest between EFCC and the ICPC on this investigations which has slowed down the investigations by the EFCC.”

However, Ojemhenke while reacting, said that he and other officials were putting their heads together to respond to the various allegations levelled against them.

Ojemhenke in a telephone conversation with TrackNews on Monday said, “We are putting our heads together to respond to the alleged N14b allegations.

“Like I told you, we are putting our heads together to respond to that allegations. Event the past posts, we are putting out heads together to respond to them. That is that”.

Apebo, in his own reaction, said that he was not aware of the seizure of the passports.

He told TrackNews on Monday, “I don’t know what they are saying. I said that I don’t know what they are saying”.

But all efforts made by TrackNews to get the reaction of Lawal to speak on the matter proved to be abortive.

Several calls put through his mobile phone were not answered while the SMS sent to him has not been replied to at the time of filing this report on Monday.