Alleged pension thief opens up:I gave Sen Etuk N1bn bribe
The last has not been heard in the Police Pension Office scam as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been petitioned over the alleged bribe-for-protection by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Pension and Establishment, Senator Aloysius Etuk.
Blueprint investigation revealed that the commission’s chairman, Mr Ibrahim Larmode, has received a four-page petition from the former Director of Accounts and Finance (Pension) in the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHSF), Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu, who is in prison.
The petition was signed on his behalf by his lawyer and personal assistant, Barrister T.E.O. Okocha and Dr. R. Afuzie respectively. Shuaibu is standing trial on charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy to commit fraud and concealing the illicit origin of stolen pensions fund, totaling over N18.3 billion and is being remanded in Kuje Prison in Abuja, pending when he would meet his N500 million bail bond.
In the petition, Afuzie and Okocha alleged that Etuk demanded for a princely sum of $1 billion in order to a “offer soft landing” for Shuaibu. “In all, the Senate committee chairman had taken bribes in the region of N400 million in cash and equipment from the former director,” they also alleged.
They further claimed that an initial N50 million cash and another $200,000 was received by Etuk, even as he also took delivery of cars, landed property and industrial equipment in order to scuttle the probe by the National Assembly and make the indicted director walk free. The petitioners said as witnesses to the many meetings between Etuk and Shauibu, they were in a position to provide facts to the EFCC in “pursuit of your national assignment.”
According to the petition, the senator had persuaded the embattled former director to attend its public hearing on the administration of pension offices across the country with a promise to use him as a prosecution witness in nailing pension thieves.
The petition also alleged that Etuk had “requested and got two brand new Mercedes Benz cars – a 2010 model Mercedes Benz coupe,” even as he also received a D8 caterpillar, a petroleum tanker with 33 litres capacity and an additional $200,000 for his “oversight” functions.
The petition is titled: “Corrupt Enrichment and Acceptance of N50,000,000 (Fifty Million Naira) Bribery, Cars, Landed Property and Industrial Equipment: Re: Senator Aloysius Akpan Etuk – Chairman, Senate Committee on Pension and Establishment,” and dated September 30, 2013.
Findings by Blueprint revealed that the petition may have been informed by Etuk’s inability to deliver on his promise to keep Shauibu out of prison after Justice Adamu Bello slammed a N500 million bail bond on the accused.
Efforts to reach Etuk proved abortive as he could not be reached as at the time of going to press.
Shuaibu, Omoefe Uduesegbe and nine companies are being tried on a 22-count charge bordering on conspiracy and allegedly defrauding the pension funds.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in a ruling last July, granted them bail at N500 million each, with two sureties, who must possess landed property in Abuja worth the bail amount.
The judge held that having regard to the nature of the charge, the sureties must be reliable, resident in Abuja, present the title deeds of their property for the court’s verification and must depose to affidavit of means.
Justice Ademola also ordered the accused to submit their international passports to the court, and where such passports had been released to the EFCC, they should be retrieved and deposited with the court.
The judge ordered that on no account should the accused persons travel abroad without the permission of the court. He adjourned to October 23 for the commencement of trial.
A count in the charge reads: “That you, Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu, former Director, Pension Accounts, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria, Udusegbe Erik Omoefe, Gozinga Enterprises, Uthathak Nigeria Limited, Krasiva Nigeria Limited and Riba-lle Petroleum Limited at various times in 2009, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired together to obtain by false pretence and with intent to defraud from Pensions Account Office of the Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria various sums in the aggregate amount of N1, 951, 592, 000.00 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.”
For the record, Senator Etok, current Chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service matters, is now at odds with his one-time god father, who publicly admitted rigging an election in his favour, during the so-called good governance tour. Perfect irony - this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc3kww4BcyE In a barefaced confession to electoral fraud, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, who is at the centre of multiple "gift" scandals involving state funds, admitted on live television, to falsifying a senatorial election result and personally replacing the winner with his preferred candidate.
With all the allowance he's receiving as a senator, he still involved himself in this. Too bad.
The man should be immediately charged to court. when the common man is trying to maintain 1 0 1 a day, and not able to do that, most of those people are pensioners, and are still suffering, why because of a man with selfish interest.
They don't even show pity to the old pensioners, the money that belongs to the common man, they decided to share it among themselve.
Heartless criminals who don't have conscience, After he send many pensioner to early grave. You Embezzled 18billion niara pensioner money but today you are looking for 500million bound to bail your self out of prison. God will punish you and your allied.
And for senator etuk you see MAGA you chop am. Make you believe say you too go turn to MAGA for another man also. They enjoy your self.
Pension Scam: I Didn’t Take N1bn Bribe – Senator Etuk
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Pensions and Establishment, Senator Aloysius Etuk, has denied taking N1.2 billion bribe-for-protection allegation levelled against him by the former director of accounts and finance (pensions) in the Office of the Head off Service of the Federation (OHSF), Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu, who is in prison.
“This is a political slur against my person,” Etuk told LEADERSHIP Weekend yesterday.
Etuk heads the Senate panel probing the Police Pension Office scam.
Shuaibu had in a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that Etuk demanded N1.2 billion in order to “offer soft-landing” for him.
Etuk said: “This is a political slur against my person. Nothing like that happened (bribe). It remains a petition to the EFCC. Let us wait for what the EFCC makes of it. I don’t want to pre-empt the action of the EFCC. Thank you.”
The petition was signed on Shuaibu’s behalf by his lawyer, Mr T.E.O. Okocha, and personal assistant Dr R. Afuzie.
Shuaibu is on trial on charges of obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy to commit fraud and concealing the illicit origin of stolen pension fund totalling over N18.3 billion and is being remanded in Kuje Prison in Abuja, pending when he meets his N500 million bail bond.
The petition reads: “In all, the Senate committee chairman had taken bribes in the region of N400 million in cash and equipment from the former director”.
Reportedly, an initial N50 million followed by $200,000 was received by Etuk including cars, landed property and industrial equipment for the bribe-for-protection deal.
According to the petition, Senator Etuk persuaded Shuaibu to appear before the Senate hearing on the administration of pension offices across the country to act as prosecution witness against pension thieves.
The petition is entitled “Corrupt Enrichment and Acceptance of N50,000,000 (Fifty Million Naira) Bribery, Cars, Landed Property and Industrial Equipment: Re: Senator Aloysius Akpan Etuk – Chairman, Senate Committee on Pension and Establishment” and dated September 30, 2013.
Shuaibu, Omoefe Uduesegbe and nine companies are being tried on a 22-count charge bordering on conspiracy and allegedly defrauding the pension funds.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in a ruling in July, granted them bail at N500 million each, with two sureties who must possess landed property in Abuja worth the bail amount.
donphilopus: With all the allowance he's receiving as a senator, he still involved himself in this. Too bad.
The man should be immediately charged to court. when the common man is trying to maintain 1 0 1 a day, and not able to do that, most of those people are pensioners, and are still suffering, why because of a man with selfish interest.
They don't even show pity to the old pensioners, the money that belongs to the common man, they decided to share it among themselve.
God pass them. Smh
This is why we should all support ASUU. Our politicians are wicked. They will find it easy to embezzle billions but when it comes spending our money for the benefit of the citizenry, wahala go shele.
3ace: This is why we should all support ASUU. Our politicians are wicked. They will find it easy to embezzle billions but when it comes spending our money for the benefit of the citizenry, wahala go shele.
they use the money to send their children to the best unis in the world... Corrupt Leaders
3ace: This is why we should all support ASUU. Our politicians are wicked. They will find it easy to embezzle billions but when it comes spending our money for the benefit of the citizenry, wahala go shele.
These lot are absolutely unconscionable, just as you observed. But the real joke is on those of us who spend an inordinate amount of time 'duking it out' over inconsequential matters, here on Nairaland, while the future gets mortaged.
When we consider how much was embezzled and also how much the alleged bribe was, the real surprise is how little the outrage which has trailed proceedings has been? How did Nigerians arrive at the point where financial crimes which affront our commonwealth and moral values are now regarded with such levity? How do we stem the tide of corruption in our society, when we have a President who feels its effects are overstated?
For some perspective, the entire education budget for the Enugu state amounted to N4.47 billion, out of N83 billion set aside to cover recurrent expenditure, capital expenditure, works and infrastructure, agriculture and so on, this year.
Let's see how this petition unfolds, in view of the categorical denial first issued by Senator Etuk back in May.
Senate committee on Pension fund denies N2 billion bribery allegation
Channels Television Posted date: May 08, 2012
The chairman, joint Senate Committee investigating the mismanagement of pension funds, Senator Aloysius Etuk has denied demanding N2billion in bribes from the chairman of the pension reform taskforce, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tueaday, Senator Etuk said the bribery allegation against the committee is part of plans by the chairman of the task force to divert the attention of the committee from the probe. He noted that a newspaper publication of May 7, claimed that Mr Maina, alleged that the committee and its chairman had demanded for a bribe from the task team.
He said the publication also said that the committee became biased against Mr. Maina and the task team following his refusal to give the alleged bribe.
Senator Etuk accused the task force of frustrating efforts by the committee to unravel the mismanagement of pension funds in the country saying Mr Maina has refused to cooperate with the Auditor-General of the Federation to audit the accounts and financial transaction carried out by task force team.
The Senator also alleged that there are pressures mounted on the committee by the task team using various highly placed persons. “They were requesting for the tilting of this joint committee’s proceedings and final recommendation in favour of the task team to which this committee rejected,” he claimed.
The chairman called on the Police, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other law enforcement agencies to commence investigations into the bribe allegation.
“If proven to be true, I shall offer myself to be tied to the stake and be shot as an additional antidote to graft and corruption in our society,” he said.
@eGuerrilla.., did the Etuk committee indict Sani Teidi Shuaibu? If they didn't then it is safe to assume money must have exchanged hands between both parties.
I know the pension reform taskforce, led by Mr Abdulrasheed Maina indicted Sani Teidi Shuaibu. In fact, the arrest and prosecution of Sani Teidi Shuaibu was the direct result of the activities of the pension reform taskforce.
Sincere 9gerian: @eGuerrilla.., did the Etuk committee indict Sani Teidi Shuaibu? If they didn't then it is safe to assume money must have exchanged hands between both parties.
I know the pension reform taskforce, led by Mr Abdulrasheed Maina indicted Sani Teidi Shuaibu. In fact, the arrest and prosecution of Sani Teidi Shuaibu was the direct result of the activities of the pension reform taskforce.
It certainly appears that Etuk has a case to answer, if the petition that has now landed before comatose EFCC is anything to go by.
As for Maina...do you recall our exchange on a different discussion thread back in April?
