Abba Moro, the immediate past interior minister, will on Monday, February 29, be arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The ex-minister is to be docked on an 11-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence, procurement fraud and money laundering before Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Premium Times reports that others to be charged alongside Moro for their roles in the botched March 15, 2014 immigration recruitment exercise that killed no fewer than 20 job seekers across the country are: permanent secretary of the ministry at the time, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia; a deputy director in the ministry, F. O Alayebami; one Mahmood Ahmadu(at large), and the contracting firm given the recruitment job, Drexel Tech Nigeria .
The EFCC accused the defendants of defrauding 676,675 Nigerian applicants of N676,675,000 (Six hundred and seventy-six million, six hundred and seventy-five thousand naira). Each of the 676,675 applicants were charged N1,000 each for participating in the recruitment exercise. The anti-graft agency is also accusing the defendants of flouting the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the award of the contract for the organisation of the recruitment test to Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd. According to the EFCC, Drexel had no prior advertisement and no needs assessment and procurement plan was carried out before the contract was awarded. The anti-graft agency said the contract was awarded through selective tendering procedure by invitation of 4 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 is also alleged to be unregistered and had no legal capacity to enter into the said contract.
There is also said to be 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, the charge said.
The court document reads: “One of the accused Mahmood Ahmadu(who is at large) in connivance with Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd, lavished the total of N423,800,000.00(Four hundred and twenty-three Million, eight hundred thousand naira) part of the N676,675,000 (Six hundred and seventy-six million, six hundred and seventy-five thousand naira) gotten from the applicants on the following: the sum N202, 500, 000( Two hundred and two million five hundred thousand naira ) in purchase of a property in a choice area of the Federal Capital territory, N120, 100,000 (One hundred and twenty million one hundred thousand naira ) used in upgrading a property in Abuja, while the total of N101, 200, 000( One hundred and one million two hundred thousand naira) was converted to United States dollars for personal use.” Moro and Anaesthesia Nwaobia were detained by operatives of the EFCC on Monday, February 22. The antigraft body says further investigations are underway to verify their claims. One of Moro’s associates, Mahmood Ahmadu is reportedly on the run, trying to avoid the law. The fugitive businessman who is on the run over the 2014 sham immigration recruitment, has allegedly shut down three of his companies located in the United Kingdom (UK).
The EFCC accused the defendants of defrauding 676,675 Nigerian applicants of N676,675,000 (Six hundred and seventy-six million, six hundred and seventy-five thousand naira). Each of the 676,675 applicants were charged N1,000 each for participating in the recruitment exercise. The anti-graft agency is also accusing the defendants of flouting the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the award of the contract for the organisation of the recruitment test to Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd. According to the EFCC, Drexel had no prior advertisement and no needs assessment and procurement plan was carried out before the contract was awarded. The anti-graft agency said the contract was awarded through selective tendering procedure by invitation of 4 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 is also alleged to be unregistered and had no legal capacity to enter into the said contract.
There is also said to be 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, the charge said.
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