EFCC Grills NSCDC Officers, Contractors Over Alleged N7.5bn Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is currently delving into a case of alleged N7.5 billion fraud, implicating 10 senior officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) along with 10 contractors.

EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, dispatched a letter to the NSCDC CG on April 26, 2024, summoning the 10 implicated NSCDC officers for interrogation. The officers, including Victor Olanrewaju Fayemi and Mrs. A.A. Jonathan, were scheduled for questioning from May 2, 2024, onwards.

The alleged fraudulent activities are linked to numerous contractors, with funds traced to certain Bureau de Change operators through whom senior NSCDC officers purportedly laundered money.

Sources close to the investigation disclosed that payments totaling N7.5 billion were made to contractors associated with the NSCDC CG, Ahmed Audi. Funds were channeled to contractors’ accounts and subsequently funneled through BDC operators.

The EFCC’s scrutiny extended to the contractors, with approximately N2 billion disbursed among three major contractors, each operating five companies. Investigators have sent summonses to all involved parties, uncovering attempts to evade interrogation, particularly by a female contractor who received over N1 billion.

Valuable information provided by indicted contractors aided in the recovery of approximately N1 billion by the EFCC. Furthermore, revelations surfaced regarding underpaid NSCDC staff during recent elections, fueling suspicions of internal financial discrepancies.

Efforts to reach spokespersons for both the EFCC and NSCDC were unsuccessful, with neither responding to calls nor messages.