Police Pension Fraud: How Accused Persons Cashed 400 Cheques In One Day

A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of seven persons accused of
complicity in the billion naira Police Pension fraud, Mustapha Sani
Gadanya, told Justice Hussein Baba of the Federal Capital Territory High
Court how 400 cheques were cashed in a day by the accused persons.
“Over 400 cheques were withdrawn and we got this information from the bank
statement furnished us by First Bank Plc,” Mustapha said.
Led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Gadanya told the court that he
obtained and analyzed the certified true copy of instruments used in
making withdrawals in the name of Veronica Onyegbula and the Directors of
Police Pension office – Esai Dangaba, Atiku Kigo Abubakar and Inuwa Wada.
“We discovered that the three directors are all signatories to the
fraudulent cheques. We also discovered that Mrs. Uzoma Cyril Attang, John
Yusuf, Gabriel Ikpe, Mike Okoro and one Mrs. Amu (currently at large), are
among those who signed the cheques”, Gadanya said.
Gadanya further told the court that the directors carried out the cheque
transactions without any letter of exemption from compliance with the
e-payment circular from the office of the Accountant General.
On further analysis of the bank statements, he said, “we discovered that
between August 2007 and December 2007, over 4billion was withdrawn;
between January and December 2008 over 5billion was withdrawn; between
January and December 2009 over 8 billion was withdrawn and between January
and December 2010 over 3 billion was withdrawn”, Gadanya told the court.
Perhaps shocked by the staggering amount, Justice Baba sought to know from
the witness what currency was involved to which the witness responded:
“Naira my Lord”.
Gadanya then went on to state that between 31st January, 2011 and 6th May,
2011 over N1billion was withdrawn and that the sum of N650 million was
withdrawn on 31st January, 2011.
Gadanya also told the court that between February and May 2011 when Inuwa
Wada was the director of the police pension office, he withdrew about
N850million, while over N4 billion was withdrawn between December 2009 and
January, 2011 when Atiku Kigo Abubakar was the director of the police
pension office.
Also over N14 billion was withdrawn during Esai Dangabar’s tenure from
January 2008 to November 2009, bringing the total amount siphoned from the
police pension account to N20 billion in flagrant violation of extant
financial regulations.
However, attempt by the prosecution to tender two documents – the analysis
of the cheques and the certificate of identification- was opposed by the
defence counsel.
Justice Baba adjourned proceedings to March 12, for ruling on the
defendants’ objection and continuation of trial.