Dead director diverted N225.9m pension funds – Kogi govt

Kogi state government has disclosed that the late director in its civil service, Alphonsus Ameh, was sacked due to alleged involvement in a fraudulent diversion of N225,936,425.72 million pensioners’ fund.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deceased, who was in the state Pension Board, died on Monday at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, few days after allegedly receiving his sack letter.

Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the state governor, Petra Onyegbule, told NAN in Lokoja that the late Ameh and four others in the State Pension Board were sacked due to alleged misappropriation of pensioners’ fund.

According to Onyegbule, a nine-man Senior Management Committee was set up by the state government, which had Aiyedero Jethro, the Acting Permanent Secretary as chairman, and John Ekele, the Acting Director of Finance as Secretary, for fair hearing.

She added that an emergency meeting of the committee was held on May 4, 2017, which drew the attention of the members to the report from the State Intelligence Bureau and the review of the same by the State Auditor-General, Yusuf Okala.

She said the report was on a case of misappropriation of Pensioners’ fund, forwarded to the office of the Head of Civil Service by the Secretary to the State Government where the governor had directed that immediate action be taken appropriately.

“In the report, the auditor-general recommended the immediate dismissal of all civil servants indicted in the police report.

“Based on the personal confession to the State Intelligence Bureau and that he (Ameh) has commenced repayment, attested to the fact that he actually committed the fraud.

“The late Ameh confirmed to the committee that he received a sum of N2 million as his own share of the looted pensioners’ fund, which he thought was a Christmas bonus. (NAN)

Leave a Reply