The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) has charged five directors of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs with fraud.
The commission said the directors defrauded the ministry to the tune of N605 million between July 2013 and October 2014. ICPC filed 46 count charges of fraud against the accused persons before Justice Husseini Baba of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja on July 7, 2015.
The accused persons, who were once Directors of Finance and Deputy Directors of Finance in the Niger Delta Ministry, allegedly siphoned the money from the Constituency Project account of the ministry under fraudulent claims.
They are Yusuf Agabi, Director of Finance and Account; Akpore Okeroghene, Deputy Director of Finance; Abibu Ayinla, Director of Finance; Idowu Adewale, Deputy Director, Accounts and Ngozi James, Deputy Director, Accounts.
ICPC’s Chief Legal Officer, Paul Ahmed claimed that the accused persons perpetrated the fraud using fictitious claims through payment vouchers containing false information.
The accused persons will be arraigned before Baba on September 16.