Niger State Police Command have arrested a senior civil servant, Mohammed Ndanusa, who illegally put his brother on Federal Government payroll for 11 years.
Mohammed, who was a staff of the Ministry of Health in Minna, has been collecting the brother’s salary since 2009.
The brother, who was identified as Tanimu, is reported to be a commercial motorcyclist in Minna.
By all standards, Taminu was not qualified to be on the payroll, but his brother Mohammed had illegally added him to the ministry’s payroll and had even promoted him several times, from Grade Level 10 to Grade level 14.
Mohammed was found out after several years of perpetrating the fraudulent act, when he requested that his brother Tanimu should appear for screening and physical verification which the Niger State Government made compulsory for all civil servants in the state.
Tanimu had consequently appeared before the panel, as advised by his brother, but this was without required credentials. He was reported to have not being able to communicate as was expected of a level 14 officer.
Members of the screening committee who were visibly stunned had called the police to arrest him. His brother was also arrested.
After much interrogation, Mohammed had confessed that he fraudulently employed Tanimu on grade level 10 in 2009 and had even promoted him three times to grade level 14 till date.
The police reportedly said that the suspect, Mohammed Ndanusa and his brother Taminu, would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.