The Office of Head of Service of the Federation is said to have allegedly stolen and laundered pensions totalling N14,374,236,846.09 from 2008 to 2013.
A breakdown of the stolen pension scheme and the modus operandi showed: Fictitious contracts- N5,761,150,608.44; Ghost Pensioners- N829,902,260.40; Collective Allowances- N1,365,821,942.91; Payments to States Pension Boards & others- N4,192,825,310; National Union of Pensioners- N2,290,593,322 and Association of Federal Civil Service Retirees- N253,390,300.
Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation, who last week appeared before the Senate Committee on Public Service and Establishment, said “The Office of the Head of Service of the Federation as at 2014 usually presented 258,000 persons for payment per month whereas the actual figure was 141,762. The differential is 116,238 ghost pensioners. There are 66 illegal accounts being used in perpetrating pension fraud.
Malami pointed out that “Pension fraud was perpetrated by public officials to siphon humongous amounts in conjunction with, and with the active connivance of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Director of Pension Accounts, State Pension Boards, and the Association of Federal Public Service Retirees, among others. Proceeds of the fraud are usually shared among the members of the Syndicate.
He regretted that unknown to most Nigerians, a highly organized pension fraud syndicate exists in Nigeria and was frontally opposed to any attempt by his office to prosecute them and recover the public loot.
According to him, “Mr. Maina has been part of this Syndicate but things fell apart between him and the Syndicate and he left the shores of Nigeria upon alleged threat to his life.
“It may interest Nigerians to know that the Federal Government of Nigeria had from 2008 to 2013 made sizeable recoveries of stolen pension funds. The position of these recoveries needs to be verified.
“What happened to the monies recovered from the syndicate? What about the 270 properties, comprising real estate and motor vehicles?
“This is what the syndicate is labouring hard to cover up using media hype against anyone that has shown interest in lifting the veil”.
Malami stated “In case you are interested in having the breakdown of the recoveries, please find them listed here below: N2,800,000,000, $3,000,000, €3,500, N16,185,131,847.09k through the OHCSF Pension Account No: 0023682604 domiciled with Union Bank Plc. and over 270 properties and motor vehicles.
“The pension fraud suspect, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina has been part of this Syndicate but things fell apart between him and the Syndicate and he left the shores of Nigeria upon alleged threat to his life.”
“It may interest Nigerians to know that the Federal Government of Nigeria had from 2008 to 2013 made sizeable recoveries of stolen pension funds. The position of these recoveries needs to be verified.
“What happened to the monies recovered from the syndicate? What about the 270 properties, comprising real estate and motor vehicles?
“This is what the syndicate is labouring hard to cover up using media hype against anyone that has shown interest in lifting the veil.
“In case you are interested in having the breakdown of the recoveries, please find them listed here below: N2,800,000,000, $3,000,000, €3,500, N16,185,131,847.09k through the OHCSF Pension Account No: 0023682604 domiciled with Union Bank Plc. and over 270 properties and motor vehicles.
”The fraud permeates the following institutions: NITEL Pension, NIPOST Pension, NEPA Pension, Nigeria Railway Pension, NPA Pension and NNPC Pension,” the Attorney-General posited.
