Today's News: Yet Another Pension Scam

Yet Another Pension Scam 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigns 12 officials of Oyo State Pension Board for alleged complicity in a N5.7 billion scam

•Alhaji Tijani Akinsola, chairman, 1994-2010 group of retired teachers

•Omolara Akintola

By 7am on 7 November, about 1,000 placard-carrying pensioners, most of them teachers, milled in the premises of the High Court situated at Ring Road, Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, to witness the trial of the former head of service, Mrs. Adeleke Kudirat Iyabo, and other 11 staff of the Oyo State Local Government Pension Board who were alleged to have stolen N5.7b pension fund in September 2010. It took security operatives a hectic time to evacuate the protesters from the court, presided over by Justice Bolaji Yusuf, before the court sat at 9am. Also in the court that day were some members of the administration of the former Oyo State governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, under which the fraud was committed.
The accused were brought from Lagos around 8am by the petitioner, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, amidst tight security and were arraigned by 9am.
According to the charge no. 1/6EFCC/2013 dated Wednesday November 6 2013 and signed by EFCC counsel, Gbolahan Latona.
The accused were: former Head of Service, Mrs. Adeleke Kudirat Iyabo; former Executive Secretary of the Pension Board, Muili Hakeem Aderemi; former treasurer, Iyabo Giwa; former cashier, Adesina Jimoh Ayoade; former auditor, Oguntayo Banji; and former admin officer, Adebiyi Musendiq Olasumbo.
Others were: Muili Adedamola, Adeduntan Johnson, Johnson Bosede, Kareem Rasheed, Olujimi Adebayo and Adewale Kehinde.

•Ogunwale Amos, deputy chairman, 2011-2013 group of teacher retirees

Accused of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence, they were alleged to have stolen N5.7b at different times within September 2010 and May 2011 from Oyo State Local Government Staff Pension Board accounts at Finbank plc, now FCMB plc; IBTC now Stanbic IBTC plc, Zenith Bank plc and Diamond Bank. In all, the accused were charged with 213 offences. At the end of each count charge read, the accused persons all pleaded not guilty.
In withdrawing the money from the banks, they were alleged to have made false representation of the pensioners by using forged documents to withdraw their money. At times, they used their own names as pensioners to withdraw money. They were also alleged to have forged local government council treasury receipts to withdraw money from the banks. These included treasury receipts of Ogbomosho South Local Government Council, Ogbomosho North Local Government Council, Oyo East Local Government Council, Oriire Local Government Council, Iseyin Local Government Council, Orelope Local Government Council, Ibarapa Local Government, Ido Local Government Council, Ibadan South West Local Government Council, Lagelu Local Government, Ibadan North Local Government Council, Ibadan North East Local Government Council, Ogbomosho North Local Government Counci, Atiba Local Government Council, Olorunsogo Local Government Council,; Iwajowa Local Government Council, Atisbo Local Government Council and Ibarapa North Local Government Council.
Describing the development as ugly, ungodly, unpalatable and wicked, leaders of the protesting retirees called on the Abiola Ajimobi administration in the state to see government as a continuum and look for ways of paying the backlog of pension government was owing teachers and look for way of retrieving the stolen money from the accused persons.

•Retirees: Victims of the scam

Chairman, 1994-2010 group of retired teachers, Alhaji Tijani Akinsola; Deputy Chairman, 2011-2013 group of teacher retirees, Mr. Ogunwale Aderonmu Amos, and Mrs. Victoria Omolara Akintola, who affirmed that 66 and 35 members from the respective groups have died due to their inability to feed themselves, appealed to the government to pay the backlog the government was owing them. “Government owes the group of 2011-2013 retired teachers 17 months arrears. Ajimobi has tried for us. After series of meetings, pending when the government will retrieve the stolen money, he has placed us on pension from January this year. But he needs to do more.
“Yes, in the area of provision of infrastructure, the government is trying. But the government should know that dead people will not walk on the roads they are constructing. As they are giving water to the flowers, they should also give us who are human beings,” Ogunwale said.

•The accused persons in the dock

Alhaji Akinsola, who disclosed that retired teachers in his group have not been paid their gratuity since July 2009 and that their pension has been irregular, stated, “The last time our set received pension was February. The government owes us eight months arrears from March till date. We beg the government to pay these arrears.”
Efforts to secure bail by the accused persons were unsuccessful. Justice Yusuf, after sitting for about eight hours, adjourned till 14 November, ordering that they be remanded in prison custody pending the determination of their bail applications.