EFCC To Arraign Akpobolokemi And Emmanuel Atewe For N8.5bn NIMASA Fraud by LocalChamp

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

is set to arraign the current Chief of Logistics,

Defence Headquarters, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel

Atewe, for his alleged role in an N8.5bn scam

involving the Nigerian Maritime Administration

and Safety Agency.

Atewe was, until last year, the Commander of the

Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, in

Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The EFCC is also set to re-arraign a former

Director-General of the NIMASA, Patrick

Akpobolokemi; Kime Engozu and Josephine

Otuga, alleged to be Atewe's co-conspirators.

It was learnt that the four suspects would be

charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos on

11 counts of stealing and money laundering

Akpobolokemi, who claims to be sick, is currently

standing trial before a Federal High Court in

Lagos for an alleged fraud of N2.6bn.

However, investigators of the anti-graft agency

were said to have been stunned by the latest

discovery.

A reliable source at the EFCC told our

correspondent that NIMASA, under the leadership

of Akpobolokemi, approved billions of naira to

several military personnel, who were in charge of

patrolling the creeks to prevent pipeline vandalism

and illegal bunkering.

He explained that when NIMASA released funds to

these top military personnel for maintenance of

equipment and fuel, the senior officers diverted

the cash into private accounts, owned by firms,

under the guise of rendering one service or the

other.

The source added, "The suspects used five

companies to divert the money. The sums of

N2,006,270,930.67, N1,147,723,362.42 and

N250,315,000.00 were at different times diverted

through Jagan Trading Company Limited.

"A second company, Al-Nald Limited, was a

channel through which N905,208,064.00 was

stolen, while a third company, Paper Warehouse

Limited, was used in diverting N605, 645,750.00.

"A fourth company, Eastpoint Integrated Services

Limited was used in siphoning N1,871,795,679.14

while a fifth company, De-Newlink Integrated

Services, was used in siphoning N68,293,199.29

and N86,198,462.54 at separate times.

"Akpobolokemi was believed to usually receive

kickbacks from these military officers after

releasing the money.

"This is probably what put us in this mess today.

With the Niger Delta Avengers and other militant

groups springing up, it has become difficult for

the military to fight them efficiently because the

funds meant for equipment have been diverted."

One of the charges, which was obtained by our

correspondent from the Federal High Court, read

in part, "That you, Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi,

Major-General Emmanuel Atewe, Kime Engozu

and Josphine Otuaga, sometime in 2014, in Lagos,

within the jurisdiction of this court, with intent to

defraud, conspired amongst yourselves to commit

an offence, to wit: Conversion of the sum of

N8,537,586,798.58 (Eight Billion, Five Hundred

and Thirty Seven Million, Five Hundred and Eighty

Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ninety Eight

Naira, Fifty Eight Kobo), property of the Nigerian

Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, and

you thereby committed an offence contrary to

Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering

(Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and

punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act."