THE NATION WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013
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NEWS
OUTRAGE OVER PENSION FRAUD CONVIC • Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (left) and Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola shortly after the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) at the Rivers State Governor’s Lounge in Abuja...on Monday
EFCC re-arrests convicted ex-pension director •Suspect faces trial today
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ARELY 24 hours after he was convicted and freed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, the former deputy director in the Police Pension Office, Mr John Yakubu Yusufu, is back in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Yusufu was re-arrested by operatives of the agency for alleged false declaration of assets. He will be arraigned today in Abuja. The commission was grilling him as at the time of filing this report. Yusufu was on Monday jailed by Justice Abubakar Talba of the FCT High Court for six years with an option of N750, 000 fine after admitting that he connived with others to defraud his office of N32.8 billion The EFCC, which gave a notice of appeal against the judgment, allegedly stumbled on fresh facts yesterday that the convict under-declared
•From Left: French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Jacques Champagne De Labriolle, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, Director-General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Alhaji Yusuf Usman, Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr Munzali Dantata and Wakilin Kpop Ham, Mr Elisha Yero, at the official handing over of five African Terracotta Sculptures of NOK Origin seized by the French Customs Service to Nigeria in Abuja ... yesterday. See story on page 5.
•From left: Public Relations Manager, UAC of Nigeria (UACN) Plc. Mr. Mike Asuquo, Commissioner for Information, Nasarawa State, Alhaji Husseini Abubakar, UACN’s Executive Director, Mr. Joe Dada and Human Resource Manager, Grand Cereals Limited, Mrs. Nkechi Umeokeke, at the donation of 200 desks to Government College, keffi, Nasarawa State by the company at the School premises in Keffi,... on Monday.
•From Left, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe, Managing Director, M-Net Africa, Mrs. Biola Alabi and Marketing Manager, Non Alcoholic Drinks, Nigeria Breweries Plc, at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) Nominees’ Announcement, held at the Porsche Centre, Akin Adesola ,Victoria Island, Lagos ...on Monday. PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE
From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation
his assets to the commission. A source said yesterday: “We have allegation of false declaration of assets against the suspect. We have started investigation but he is presently detained for interrogation. “I can tell you that he has made useful statement to our team of operatives handling the matter.” EFCC spokesmanWilson Uwujaren confirmed the re-arrest of Yusuf. He said: “We picked him up on Tuesday (yesterday) for alleged false declaration of assets. He is undergoing interrogation at the moment. “The EFCC may charge him to court on Wednesday in line with the latest clues.” Besides the forfeiture of N325.187 million to the Federal Government, the FCT High Court also ruled that the former pension director forfeit 32 properties.
CNPP faults ‘compassionate’ sentence for Yusuf
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HE confiscation of assets valued below N1 billion and the imposition of a N750, 000 as punishment for the theft of N23 billion belonging to retirees is unaccptable, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), said yesterday. The Conference was reacting to Monday’s conviction by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court of Mr. John Yakubu Yusufu, a former deputy director in the Police Pension Office, who stole N32.8 billion pension funds. Condemning the asset seizure and the imposition of fine on Yusufu, the CNPP described the sentence as a mockery of justice and a slap on the wrist for the amount the former director admitted to have stolen from police pensioners. In a statement signed by the CNPP Secretary-General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the National Judicial Council (NJC) was urged to investigate Justice Abubakar Talba to ensure that the image of the judiciary is not dragged into disrepute. Besides, the CNPP urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to probe the officials that handled Yusufu’s case. It listed such officials to include the judge, the prosecutor and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to Ezugwu, no amount of plea for leniency or plea bargain “should have earned any self-confessed thief such pampering that makes mockery of hard-working Nigerians. The statement reads: “It is simply insane that a man who admitted to stealing N23 billion only had assets of less than N1 billion confiscated and a paltry N750, 000 fine which he easily paid off on the spot. “The essence of sentencing is to punish offenders and at the same time deter would be offenders. This
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This is totally unacceptable. Many pensioners died in abject poverty and made to suffer untold indignity and dehumanisation because some people stole their pensions.
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From Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja
ruling however has no element of deterrence since the convict walked away with what amounted to over N20 billion profit because of this warped ruling.” The Conference warned that such conviction, if allowed to stay, could encourage public officials to become career thieves with a mindset that they can always get way if they part with a fraction of their loots. It said: “We have been clamouring for the judiciary to give teeth to the fight against corruption because of the compromised executive arm of government that is presently in place. “But it is now obvious that there will be no positive steps in that direction if the signals from this judgment are anything to go by. “It is things like this that make Nigerians deride their judiciary asking that its functions should be outsourced to the United Kingdom (UK) where former Delta GovernorJames Ibori got the kind of prison sentence that can truly deter thieves. “This is totally unacceptable. Many pensioners died in abject poverty and made to suffer untold indignity and dehumanisation because some people stole their pensions. “It is thus sickening that one of those who committed such heinous crime is getting away with the crime because of this kind of sentence.”