Niger blocks pension thieves, saves N200m monthly

By Aideloje Ojo Minna

Niger state Pension Board has blocked pension thieves who were engaged in recycling fi les to defraud the state government of sums of money amounting to over N200 million monthly, the Director-General of the board, Alhaji Usman Mohammed, has said. Usman stated this in an interview with Blueprint in Minna, adding that the fi les used in the fraudulent claims had been confi scated in his offi ce. He said the stringent measures put in place by the board led to the discovery of the fraud and the saving of the said amount in the monthly payments of pensioners. “If you look around my offi ce you will see many fi les that have been paid but were recycled

for another round of payment. Th ank God that they have been fi shed out and they remained domesticated in this offi ce and it will surprise you to know that since we kept them here, nobody has come forward to claim them to avoid getting into our net. Th ese pension thieves were stealing about N200 million monthly from government through these fi les and we have blocked it,” he said. Th e director-general said ironically, those involved in the nefarious acts were those involved trying desperately to paint the board in bad light, adding that “those involved in these fraudulent acts are the ones sponsoring people against the board but we will continue to remain focused in our determination to weed the place of corrupt elements.”

He said 168 other funny fi les were uncovered by close examination and discovered to be enjoying the monthly pension benefi ts, while they were not entitled to such benefi ts under the old pension scheme.” He said the problem had been that while authentic pensioners were suff ering, the thieves were recycling fi les to get huge amounts of money, adding that “we are prepared to stop these criminals and I will not be detracted.”

 

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