NYSC Member Arrested For 23million Naira Fraud (Read What Happened)

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The trial of Ibrahim Ahmed Mazangari, Muhammed
Sani Sulaiman, Fatima Mazangari and Saleh Yerima
Tsojon, who allegedly ran a syndicate that defrauded
the Federal Government to the tune of N1.2 billion in
a pension scam, continued on Monday, with the
prosecution witness giving insight into how they carried
out the fraud.

Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, O. A.
Atolagbe, the witness, Roukayya Ibrahim, an
investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, and member of the Pension
fraud team, told the court that the fraud was uncovered
in 2010 while the head of service pension board was
being probed.

“We received intelligence of the syndicate operating in
Kaduna being led by Hajia Fatima Mazangari, and
we immediately commenced investigations”, a statement
by the EFCC head of media and publicity, Wilson
Uwujaren, quoted Roukayya as saying.

The accused persons, according to her, used two
companies – Xangee Technologies Limited and Century
Construction Company Limited, to perpetrate the
fraud.

She told the court that Xangee Technologies Limited,
which is owned by mr. Mazangari was offered a
biometric contract by a former Head of Service,
Steve Oronsaye, to regularize names of pensioners on
the pension payroll, but smuggled in names of fake
pensioners (including his own name), and collected
unearned pension.

“Investigations revealed that Xangee, an IT firm was
paid about N153 million for the biometric contract, but
we found out that the process of awarding the contract
did not follow due process as there was no contract
bidding, yet payment was made”, she said.

The second accused person, according to Ms.
Roukayya, used three variants of his name to open
three different pension accounts, to which a total of
about N24 million of pension payments at different
times were paid; the money was afterwards withdrawn
and handed over to Ms. Fatima.

She added: “During investigations, it was also
discovered that Saleh Yerima Tsojon, who at the time
was serving his mandatory NYSC service in Calabar,
was receiving pension payment which amounted to
about N23 million”.

The four accused persons are being prosecuted by the
EFCC, on a 29-count charge bordering on
conspiracy, and collecting by false pretence.

They are alleged to have obtained N1.2 billion from the
federal government purporting same to be monthly
pension payable to M. S. Suleiman, Saleh Yerima
Tsojon, Isah U. Adamu, Daniel Mikano, and
Abdulahi Garba Musa who were falsely held out as
pensioners, by inserting their names in the pensioners’
payroll.

Justice Talba has fixed November 3, 2015 for further
hearing.i

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