Oyo govt uncovers N2.68bn pension fraud

OYO State government has uncovered a pension fraud totalling N2.68 billion in its Local Government Pension Board.The amount represented the figure so far established in an ongoing investigation of withdrawal of state funds between September 2010 and March 2011, the build-up period to the last general election.Giving details at a press conference in Ibadan, on Wednesday, on how the pension funds were squandered, the chairman of the state Local Government Service Commission, Chief Lasisi Ayankojo, said the executive secretary of the board, Mr Aderemi Muili and the director (finance and administration) Mrs Iyabo Giwa, separately withdrew N1,353,868,000 of the looted fund.Apart from the duo, other individuals, who allegedly frittered away pension funds, included B.N. Oguntayo; A.J. Adedun-tan; J.A Adesina.While Adesina withdrew N401.3 million in 53 instalments, one of the others was a confidential secretary on whose name N8.9 million was drawn and cashed.Chief Ayankojo said eight of those involved in the scam had been handed over to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police command.Nigerian Tribune gathered that Mr Muili, who is also the Director of Personnel Management for Atiba Local Government Area, had fled to the United States, while Mrs Giwa was also said to be on the run.The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Bisi Okuwobi-Iloba-nafor, confirmed that seven indicted government officials were in the police net, while two others were at large.She said Mr Muili was granted a two-week leave by the government but had not reported at his duty post, after the expiration of the leave, while the director of administration had reportedly gone for lesser hajj.
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