Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has arraigned three civil servants on charges of alleged pension fraud involving over N50 million.
This development comes following Otti’s decision on November 8 to clamp down on any civil servants involved in pension fraud.
The suspects who were arraigned in Federal High Court Umuahia were Onyekachi Success Nwabueze, Miriam Azubuike and Victor Chisom Samuel.
In the case marked FHC/UM/CR/199/24 between Abia State government and Onyekachi Success Nwabueze, Miriam Azubuike, Victor Chisom Samuel and others, the six-count charge said that the matter was brought pursuant to Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act 2005 CAP M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004; Section 100 of the Pension Reform Act 2014; and sections 6 & 12 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024.
READ MORE:Gov Alex Otti Vows to Prosecute Civil Servants Involved in Pension Fraud
The charge sheet dated October 11, 2024, was signed by C. N. Iheji, Senior State Counsel for the Attorney General of Abia State.According to the charge, the three arraigned persons and others now at large, between January and October 2024, allegedly conspired to defraud the state government of pension funds meant for real pensioners.
The charge also alleged that the suspects were involved in pension fraud worth over 50 million naira, even as the state government listed some names and bank account numbers where the allegedly stolen money was syndicated.
However, some members of the opposition in the state are insisting that anyone arrested for the alleged pension fraud should be assumed innocent until proven guilty by the court.
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