UPDATE: Group petitions EFCC over alleged N1.5bn fraud at REA

A rights group, Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence (CAIDOV) has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged N1.5 billion fraud at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). In the petition dated 25th July, 2023 and signed by its Executive Director, Gbenga Soloki, and Legal Adviser, Barr. G. H. Agoro, CAIDOV also indicted the agency’s Executive Director, Technical Service, Engr. Barka Sajor and Director of Fund, Abubakar Sambo, accusing both of being complicit in a fake staff training programme and using eight staff in account department to perpetrate fraud to the tune of N1.5 billion The group alleged that recently about 200 staff in REA had their bank accounts credited with sums of money ranging between N500,000 and N600,000 for a purported training that never took place.

It further alleged that those who received the credit alert in June were told by management to assume the money, drawn from fund meant for capital project, was for training programme they did not attend. The petition reads: “The Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence (CAIDOV) is concerned about the high level of financial shenanigan occurring in Rural Electrification Agency (REA), under the leadership of the Managing Director, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad. “For instance, on March 23rd, N4 million and N2.3 million were paid differently into Asuni Adejoke Aminat’s GTbank account, while on the 29th of the same month, the same account received N2.5 million, N2 million and N1.1 million in different tranches.

“The staff who received the strange bank credit alert in June were told by management to assume the money drawn from fund meant for capital project, was for training programme they did not attend. “We have proof that the said training is an invention framed to siphon money by REA leadership from the agency’s coffer. “The fake training followed a trend of events in REA last month, designed to clean out remaining allocated funds in the agency’s treasury, that by law should have been returned to the federal government.

“It is also to our knowledge that Braintask Value Resources Limited and Cess Assist Resources Limited mentioned in the ruse as resource firms for the fake training to perpetrate the heist were paid a total sum of N280 million for doing nothing. “Airan Construction & Supplies and Tungsten Project Nigeria Limited were also used in the June’s scams with N24.4 million and N6.1 million paid into their respective accounts. “It’s pertinent to add that a large chunk of the said money would end up in the pockets of those in charge of REA, and the aforesaid firms were just conduits used to perpetrate those frauds.

“Our findings also revealed that the perpetrator(s) claimed Braintask Value Resources Limited and Cess Assist Resources Limited received N1.5 million per staff member for the fabricated training on paper, whereas not more than N600,000 was paid to each staff member. “This warranted the conclusion that the country lost not less than N300 million under false pretences to corrupt government officials in REA in June.

“We may as well mention, that our investigation revealed that Braintask Value and Cess Assist many times channeled the shares of those who made the fraud possible through the bank account of one, Ochola Ben Eimoga”