Five Arrested In Bauchi Over N21.5m Pension Scam

The suspects are said to be employees of the Local Government Pension Board in the state.

They were apprehended for alleged criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, misappropriation, forgery and fraud amounting to N21, 580,000.

This was disclosed by the police spokesman in the state, Ahmed Wakil, via a statement issued on Saturday.

According to him, the arrest followed a petition to the state Commissioner of Police by the state governor, Bala Mohammed, through his Principal Private Secretary.

Those arrested, he said, included the auditor, computer operator and three other workers with the board.

Wakil explained that the suspects inserted seven illegal names of pensioners and fraudulently siphoned various sums of money for a period ranging from six to 36 months.

The statement partly read, “On the 12th of September 2020, at about 1300hrs a letter of complaint from the office of Executive Governor Bauchi State signed by Musa Mohammed Kirfi PPS to the Governor of Bauchi State against the following suspects: Mohammed B. Mohammed, Editor of the board; Musa Bappayo, computer operator of the board and Samaila Musa all staff of Local Government Pension Board.

“The complaint was received through the office of the commissioner of police for discrete investigation.

“When interrogated the above-mentioned persons confessed to have inserted about seven illegal beneficiaries’ names into the pensions records fraudulently as Mohammed Namamu and Abubakar Muazu.

“These Two were the candidates/Beneficiaries introduced by Samaila Musa ‘m’ aged 38yrs of Federal Low-cost who inserted above-mentioned none of them is a civil servant of the state. They were found to have been receiving N65, 000 and N85, 000 per month for the period of 18 months which accumulated to N2,700,000.”

The police spokesman added, “Yasir Sulaiman (37) of Bayan airport has Two candidates, whom he received N320,000 per month for the period of 23 months which accumulated to N7,360,000.

“Garba Bala (39) of Tirwun Bauchi who introduced two candidates and receiving N300,000 per month for 36 months which accumulated to N10,800,000.

“Umar Mohammed Madara (49) of Ibrahim Bako Bauchi has one candidate, whom he receives N120,000 per month for the period of six months which accumulated N720,000.”

The police spokesman explained that efforts were ongoing to arrest other fleeing suspects in connection with the fraud.