#InCaseYouMissedIt: Atiku, others to be prosecuted over Pension Fund probe

by Lekan Olanrewaju

5 civil servants are to be charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in connection to the recent pension fund investigations.

The officers are Atiku Abubakar Tigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada (Director), John Yakubu Yusuf (Assistant Director), Veronica Onyegbula (Cashier), and Sani Habila Zira (ICT officer).

The EFCC had previously arraigned the officers before an Abuja High Court on 29 March on a 16 count charge of conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and diversion of public funds.

The EFCC also released a statement regarding rumours that it had been directed by the Senate to stop investigations on the pension fund, and to probe EFCC bosses Ibrahim Lamorde and Farida Waziri.

“The Commission wishes to state that, at no time did the Senate committee or the Senate as a whole order the police to probe the Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde and his predecessor, Mrs Farida Waziri.” read the statement. “Neither did it request the EFCC to hands off pension matters. Reports to the contrary, may have been promoted by interests to achieve certain nefarious ends.”

“For Lamorde, it was his second time. ” said the statement, signed by EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren, about the Chairman appearing at the public hearing.

“When he first appeared before the Committee some weeks back he was confronted with a document that alleged that he collected estacode to travel to the US for a biometric capturing exercise by the Pension Task Team, a claim which he vehemently denied. The EFCC Chairman stated that he had never travelled abroad on any biometric capturing assignment neither did he receive any estacode from anybody for that purpose.

“Even the head of the Pension Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, who was present on the occasion, confirmed that Lamorde did not travel and did not collect a kobo in estacode.” the statement continued. “The EFCC Chairman said he was sure that the documents and claims regarding his person were forged.”

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Editor’s note: This post has been updated

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