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EFCC Prepares 11-Count Charge Against Abba Moro, Four Others

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has prepared charges against the former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro.

The 11-count charge likely to be proffered against the former minister all borders on obtaining by false pretence, procurement fraud and money laundering.

Moro, Anastasia Daniel Nwobia, F. O Alayebami, Mahmood Ahmadu (at large) and Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited allegedly defrauding a total of 676,675 Nigerian applicants to the tune of N676,675,000 representing N1,000 per applicant through e-payment for their online recruitment exercise into the Nigerian Immigration Service on 17th March 17, 2013.

The accused are alleged to have contravened the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the contract awards by not following the necessary procedure laid down by the government.

The award of the contract to Drexel Tech had no prior advertisement, no needs assessment and a procurement plan was not carried out before award of the contract.

The contract was awarded through selective tendering procedure by invitation of four firms without seeking the approval of the Bureau for Public Procurement contrary to sections 40, 42 and 43 of the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 and punishable under section 58 of the same act.

Drexel Tech, the company that provided the online enlistment and recruitment services is said to be unregistered and had no legal capacity to enter into the said contract.

The ministry had claimed that there was no budgetary provision for the exercise in the 2014 federal capital budget hence the applicants were made to bear the responsibility of funding the project without approval of the board contrary to section 22(5) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000.

One of the accused Mahmood Ahmadu, now at large,  in connivance with Drexel Tech, allegedly lavished the total of N423,800,000, part of the N676,675,000 realised  from the applicants on the following: the sum N202,500,000 in purchase of a property in a choice area of the Federal Capital Territory, N120,100,000  used in upgrading a property in Abuja, while the total of N101,200,000  was converted to United States dollars for personal use.

Operatives of EFCC arrested Moro alongside former Permanent Secretary and a director in the ministry on Monday in Abuja.

It was gathered that Moro and others were held in connection with the N650million immigration recruitment scandal. They were re-invited by the EFCC ahead of their arraignment in court.

Some Nigerians had demanded for the sack of the former minister and the then Comptroller-General of Immigration, David Parradang, as well as their criminal prosecution for manslaughter.

The anti-graft agency had also quizzed Parradang on the same matter.

Although the former minister initially blamed the applicants for being “disorderly”, he later took responsibility, expressing regrets that his desire to eliminate favouritism through a competitive recruitment process had ended in a tragedy.

Calls by many Nigerians to sack Moro were rejected by former President Goodluck Jonathan who later offered jobs to the families of the victims.

The charges are as follows:

“That you Abba Moro, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia,  F.O Alayebami , Mahmood Ahmadu (at large) and Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd on or about the 17th of March 2013 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud conspired to induce a total number of 676,675 Nigerian job applicants seeking employment with Nigerian Immigration Service to deliver property to wit: cumulative sum of N676,675,000 which sum represents the sum of N1,000 per applicant under the false pretence that the money represents payment for their online recruitment exercise into Nigerian Immigration Service and which pretence you knew was false, contrary to Section 8 and 1(1) (b) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences

Act, No. 14 of 2006

“That you Abba Moro, Anastasia Daniel Nwobia,  F.O Alayebami , Mahmood Ahmadu ( at large) and Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd on or about the 17th of March 2013 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud conspired to induce a total number of 676,675 Nigerian job applicants seeking employment with Nigerian Immigration Service to deliver property to wit: cumulative sum of N676,675,000 which sum represents the sum of N1,000 per applicant under the false pretence that that you have followed the necessary procedure and that the money represents epayment for their online recruitment exercise into Nigerian Immigration Service and which pretence and you knew was false, contrary to Section 8 and 1(1) (b) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, No. 14 of 2006.

“That you Abba Moro, Anastasia Daniel Nwobia, and  F.O Alayebami on or about the 30th of April 2013 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did award contract for the provision of online enlistment and recruitment services to Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited without advertising the contract contrary to Section 45 and punishable under Section 58(5) of the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007.

“That you Abba Moro, Anastasia Daniel Nwobia, and  F.O Alayebami on or about the 30th of April 2013 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did award contract for the provision of online enlistment and recruitment services to Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited without Needs Assessment and Procurement Plan, contract contrary to Section 16(1) (b) and Section 18 of the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 and punishable under Section 58 of the same Act.

“That you Abba Moro, Anastasia Daniel Nwobia, and  F.O Alayebami on or about the 30th of April 2013 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did award contract for the provision of online enlistment and recruitment services to Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited to develop recruitment portal through selective tendering process by inviting four(4) firms without seeking approval of the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) contrary to sections 40, 42 and 43 of the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 and punishable under Section 58 of the same Act.

“That you Abba Moro, Anastasia Daniel Nwobia, and  F.O Alayebami on or about the 30th of April 2013 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did award contract for the provision of online enlistment and recruitment services to Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited and signed by unregistered Drexel Tech Global Nigeria Limited when you knew that Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited was not responsive to mandatory prequalification contrary to sections 50(5) and 51  of the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 and punishable under Section 58 of the same Act.

“That you Abba Moro, Anastasia Daniel Nwobia, and  F.O Alayebami on or about the 30th of April 2013 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court  did award contract for the provision of online enlistment and recruitment services to Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited and signed by unregistered Drexel Tech Global Nigeria Limited when you knew that there was no budgetary provision for the exercise in the 2014 Federal  Capital Budget and transferring responsibility to fund the project to applicants through mandatory payment of N1,000 without approval of the Board, contrary to Section 22(5) of the Independent Corrupt Practices Act 2000.

“That you  Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited and Mahmood Ahmadu(At large) on or about the 17th of March 2015 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court converted the sum of N202,500,000 part of the N676,675,000 obtained from 676,675 Nigerian job applicants seeking employment with Nigerian Immigration Service to buy property No. 1, Lahn Crescent Maitama, Abuja with the aim of disguising the illicit origin of the said sum, knowing same to be proceeds of illegal activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering ( Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

“That you  Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited and Mahmood Ahmadu(At large) on or about the 17th of March 2015 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court converted the sum of N120, 100,000 being part of the N676,675,000 obtained from 676,675 Nigerian job applicants seeking employment with Nigerian Immigration Service to upgrade property No.2 Sigure Close, Off Monrovia Street, Wuse II Abuja  with the aim of disguising the illicit origin of the said sum knowing same to be proceeds of illegal activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering ( Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

“That you  Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited and Mahmood Ahmadu(At large) on or about the 17th of March 2015 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court converted the sum of N101,  200,000 being part of the N676,675,000 obtained from 676,675 Nigerian job applicants seeking employment with Nigerian Immigration Service to United States dollars for your personal use knowing same to be proceeds of illegal activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering ( Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”

__________

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Copyright 2015 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.

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