The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) appear to have swept under the carpet the missing Duty Tour Allowance put at N7billion involving top NCAA officials since March 2023.
Impeccable sources at the NCAA on Thursday revealed to SaharaReporters that apart from the fact that the indicted officials were not called to question, they have been enjoying promotion and other work benefits while the EFCC has refused to take action.
It will be recalled that in March 2023, the EFCC arrested four top officials of the NCAA over alleged N2billion Duty Tour Allowance fraud, which was later discovered to be about N7billion.
The suspects were taken to EFCC custody and they included; Bilkisu Adamu Sani, Director, Finance and Accounts; Hart Benson Fimienye, Deputy General Manager, Treasury; Obene Jenbarimiema Turniel, Deputy General Manger (Management Accounts) and Nathaniel Terna Kaainjo, General Manger (Accounts and Stores).
The EFCC also later swopped on other officials of the Finance Directorate of the agency and other officials were arrested: Mr. Esuruoso Olayinka Ajibola, Mr. Davies Udeme Bassey, Okeke Paschal Ebuka, Lasisi Kazeem Olayinka and Henry Emem Ekpo in addition to others whose names were yet to be made public by the EFCC.
The EFCC investigators had reportedly found more than N7billion in the bank accounts of the alleged suspects, which include most officials that work in NCAA’s Finance Directorate.
Speaking with SaharaReporters in an update on Thursday, sources with the NCAA noted that the EFCC for close to two years never arraigned any of the officials and it appeared there was no further action on the N7billion fraud.
“I’m bringing this as one of the biggest cases of fraud in the aviation ministry which the EFCC has been playing about with.
“Even though the same EFCC has got truthful facts that the crime was committed, the agency has never arraigned the alleged officials in court nor does it have any intention of arraigning anyone of them,” the source revealed.
“This shows one of the many corrupt and sharp practices of the anti-graft agency. The aviation workers are still petitioning the EFCC on this fraud because those top officials involved are enjoying the looted money. They are still sitting on the same position that gave them this privilege,” another top source corroborated.
“Even the indicted officials are promoted faster than those working and breaking their necks to move the Nigerian aviation forward,” the source concluded.
Speaking with THISDAY Newspaper in May 2023, sources had explained how the money was allegedly shared among the top officials.
“More than N7billion has so far been found in the accounts of these people and low-level staff in NCAA that works in the Finance Directorate. They have been stealing money in NCAA, and have continued to do so even today. These officers bought houses in Abuja and Lagos, bought cars and other properties. Some of them were forced to remit up to N300million to N400million from their accounts that they stole,” the source said.
“One of the General Managers in the finance department had up to N800 million in his account,” the source added.
Another source in the agency also disclosed that the Director-General of NCAA (Captain Musa Nuhu at that time) was not signatory to the accounts of the agency.
It was not clear if he knew about the high-level frauds committed by some of the staff.
