EFCC: Group Calls for Prosecution of Osun College Officials over Alleged N66m Fraud

A non-governmental organization, Action for Better Nigeria (ABN), has called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to commence prosecution of individuals involved in the alleged misappropriation of N66 million at the Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun.

In a letter made available to the press, ABN Chairman Olaosebikan Philemon called for unbiased prosecution of those connected to the alleged fraud, which occurred during an accreditation exercise by the National Universities Commission (NUC) earlier this year.

Noting that the association had petitioned the ICPC and EFCC recently based on tension created at the college occasioned by the fraud which has continued to set tongues wagging, Olaosebikan stated that the group’s action was predicated on need to unravel the truth about the alleged mismanagement of a whooping sum of N66, 856,708.75 during the five-subjects accreditation programme undertaken early this year by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

“According to our findings, especially based on the availability of facts and vouchers to support our claims as contained in our petition, a sum of N10,199.000.00 (ten million, one hundred and nineteen thousand naira) was paid to the account of one the bursary staff, in the name of the accreditation programme. The fund was later discovered to have been transferred to the personal account of the chairman of the council.

“Similarly, as contained in our petition, a sum of N12,500.000.00 (twelve million, five hundred thousand naira) was paid to the account of one of the institution’s HOD. The money was also diverted to the same account of the chairman, of the College Governing Council.

He noted that the group gathered that another sum of N8,100,000.00 (eight million and hundred thousand naira), was also found to have illegally been transferred to another personal account of the chairman of the Governing Council,” he added.