Friday 21 June 2013

EFCC Arrests 10 Oyo Officials Over Pension Scam

Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday arrested 10 persons accused of defrauding Oyo State Government of N1.59bn.
They were arrested at the premises of the Magistrate’s Court, Iyaganku, Ibadan.
The accused persons are Alhaji Hakeem Muili, Alhaja Iyabo Giwa, Adeduntan Johnson, Oguntayo Banji and Adesina Jimoh.
Others are Johnson Bosede, Adebiyi Olasumbo, Kareem Rasheed, Muili Adedamola and Salewa Adedeji.
The suspects were conveyed in the commission’s bus to Lagos.
However, Giwa, who was also present in court, evaded arrest.
Their arrest followed an earlier ruling by Chief Magistrate Durosaro Kehinde-Tijani of the Chief Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan.
The court had struck out the case based on the application by the Principal State Counsel, Ademola Ojekunle, on June 4.
She cited section 75 and 211(1) of the 1999 constitution empowering the Attorney-General to withdraw the matter.
The state government had earlier applied, asking for the case to be struck out to allow the EFCC to carry out proper investigation.
The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adebayo Ojo, said EFCC had taken over the matter, adding that the defendants would be charged to court, if found culpable by the EFCC.
Similarly, the National Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners,  Railway Branch, Alhaji Abdullkadiri Bida, on Thursday appealed to the Federal Government to implement the recommendations of Railway Pension Review Committee on the harmonisation of salaries, income and wages of his members.
He called on the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, to release fund for immediate implementation of the report to alleviate the suffering of railway pensioners in the country.

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