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Two officials of an outsourcing company , Sambhu Nigeria Limited , have been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly defrauding the firm of about N8m. It was learnt that the suspects Daniel Odeh and Jane Ejeh were arrested by the police from the Sango Ota division before they were transferred to the Anti Fraud Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta.

While Odeh was the company’s operations manager, Ejeh was the cashier. The duo allegedly inflated salary payments to workers and diverted the excess cash into their own accounts. The alleged fraud, which had been going on since May 2017, reportedly got to the attention of the company’s Managing Director, Emmanuel Igoche, who reported to the police. The firm’s Administrative Manager, Aladey Matthew, said the firm initially thought the amount was N5.3m until investigations revealed an additional N2.7m.

He said, “We manage labour for construction firms. Most of our clients, who have their sites in Ogun State, pay workers ‘salaries to us. After deducting our service charge, we then pay the workers. At the end of every month, our operations manager submits the wage bill to the MD, who then instructs that the money be disbursed. “Daniel ( Odeh ) pays workers in Samstar Nigeria Limited, Pure Chem Manufacturing Limited, among others. We asked him to tell the workers to open bank accounts into which their salaries could but paid, but he refused. We paid blindly as he issued vouchers for workers’ salaries. Unknown to us, the vouchers were being inflated and the surplus cash diverted.

“Sometime in May 2017, Pure Chem increased workers’ salaries. Daniel submitted the new salary rates to us, but he continued to pay the workers the old rates. About N2.5m fraud was committed in Pure Chem alone.”It was also learnt that the fraud came to light in January shortly after Ejeh got wedded in her hometown in Benue State. The managing director was allegedly called by the company’s new accounts officer, who became involved in the preparation of vouchers for workers salaries in December 2017. The MD was said to have also got calls from some workers, who claimed that their salaries had not been paid for several months.

“The new accounts officer had not been involved in the preparation of vouchers until in December 2017. He discovered the fraud and called the attention of the MD to it. The MD did not immediately take action until some workers started calling that they had not been paid their salaries for several months. We discovered that aside inflating the vouchers, there were many workers he did not pay for two to three months. “Initially, the man said he was solely responsible for the fraud and the woman should not be interrogated. But during police investigation, the woman confessed to have collected N700, 000 from the money,” he added.

It was further learnt that the police got a court order to remand the suspects beyond the 48 hours permitted by law to enable them get more information on the actual amount involved in the fraud. It was alleged that Odeh and Ejeh admitted to N5.3m fraud. During investigation, an additional N2.7m was allegedly discovered, which brought the figure to N8m. “Investigations are ongoing as more revelations are coming up . The suspects have not said what they did with the money, Matthew added.

Punch learnt that while Odeh had been working with the company for over five years, the woman got into the company about three years ago. Both suspects are indigenes of Benue State. “The man brought the lady into the company. The whole fraud was caused by blind trust. The MD left a lot to the operations manager and that was why all this happened, ” the admin manager said. The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, adding that the case was being investigated at the anti fraud unit of the SCIID. “The case was handled by the Sango division, but was transferred to the anti fraud unit of the SCIID for proper investigation , ” Oyeyemi said in a text message to our correspondent on Sunday. Punch Reports

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JUST IN: Reps Reject Bill Seeking Single Six-Year Term, Zonal Rotation For President, Governors

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The House of Representatives on Thursday, November 21, rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at instituting a single six-year term for the president, governors, and local government chairmen across the federation.

The bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and 33 co-sponsors, also sought to divide the country into six geopolitical zones and establish a rotational system for the presidency and governorship within these zones.

Additionally, the bill proposed that all elections be conducted on a single day.

It aimed to amend Section 132 of the Constitution by inserting a new subsection (2), deleting the extant subsection (4), and renumbering the entire section accordingly. The proposed amendment would have stipulated that elections to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be rotated between the North and South regions every six years.

The bill also sought to amend Section 180 of the Constitution, replacing “four years” with “six years.”

Furthermore, it proposed altering Section 76 by inserting a new subsection (3), which would read: “(3) For the purpose of Section (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly, and State Houses of Assembly shall hold simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.”

When the bill, which was scheduled for a second reading, was put to a vote, the majority of lawmakers voted against it. This is not the first time the House has rejected a bill seeking a six-year single term for the president and governors.

In 2019, a similar bill, sponsored by John Dyegh from Benue State, also failed to progress to the second reading.

Dyegh’s bill had also proposed a six-year term for Members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly. He argued that a six-year term would allow members of the National Assembly to gain more experience, as opposed to the current four-year term.

According to Dyegh, re-election for the president and governors costs three times more than the first election and is often marked by violence. He believes a single term of five years would help curb the irregularities associated with re-election.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had also proposed a further amendment to the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, advocating for a six-year single term for the president for each of the six geopolitical zones.

He added that the law must mandate electronic voting and the collation of results, and require the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to verify the credentials of candidates, among other reforms.

The governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, also backed calls in June this year for a single term for elected politicians.

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I Appointed Aides On Garden Egg, Yam, Pepper To Boost Food Production — Enugu LG Chairman

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Eric Odo, chairman of Igbo Etiti LGA in Enugu state, has defended the appointment of aides for yam, pepper, and garden egg.

On Tuesday, Odo announced the appointments of Ezeugwu Ogbonna as senior special assistant on agriculture (yam and pepper) and Nwodo Ugonna as special adviser on garden egg and pepper.

The appointments attracted criticism from many Nigerians, who viewed the positions as an anomaly.

In his defense on Wednesday, Odo explained that the appointments were designed to increase the production of these crops in large quantities, aiming to meet local demands and support export.

The chairman emphasized that the Igbo-Etiti area is particularly well-suited to cultivating these crops and holds a significant comparative advantage.

“Their appointments are to ensure that local farmers receive adequate attention, needed resources, support, and expertise to enhance production, improve market access, and increase income for farmers,” NAN quoted Odo as saying.

“In essence, the appointment, which is wrongly misunderstood by disgruntled individuals, bad losers, and opposition, reinforces my determination to create a thriving local economy based on the strengths and potentials of Igbo-Etiti’s agricultural landscape.”

Odo explained that the decision was part of a carefully considered plan aimed at boosting productivity, creating jobs, and improving the livelihoods of farmers within the LGA’s communities.

He called on the public to disregard any online or offline comments intended to discredit the appointments, asserting that the council is committed to massive food production and sustainable development.

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JUST IN: Simon Ekpa, Four Others Arrested In Finland Over Terror-Related Activities

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Finnish-Nigerian separatist agitator, Simon Ekpa, and four other individuals have been arrested in Finland over terror-related activities.

A local report in Finland stated that Ekpa, the self-declared “Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government In-Exile,” was remanded in custody by the district court of Päijät-Häme on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

In a Thursday statement published on its website, the Central Criminal Police in Finland said it had arrested five people on suspicion of terrorist crimes.

The police said the main suspect was arrested “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” while four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime.”

The police added: “Claims will be heard in Päijät-Häme district court today, November 21.”

The statement reads: “The detention demands are related to the preliminary investigation, in which a Finnish citizen of Nigerian background, born in the 1980s, is suspected of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.”

“The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland by means that have led to violence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria.”

The statement quoted the head of the investigation, Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen from the Central Crime Police, as saying that “the man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels.

“Four other persons are suspected of financing the aforementioned activity. All five suspects of the crime have been arrested during the beginning of the week.”

“International cooperation has been carried out during the preliminary investigation,” the statement added.

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