Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission says it has quizzed top management staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission over allegations of procurement fraud and misappropriation of COVID-19 funds amounting to N5.4bn.
ICPC spokesman, Azuka Ogugua, said in a statement on Saturday that some directors of NDDC were interrogated at the commission’s headquarters after months of intelligence gathering.
Oguagua said the interrogation followed receipt of petitions from Nigerians on the alleged illegalities and contracts fraud by some officials of NDDC.
According to him, they are being investigated for their complicity in the alleged diversion of N5.474 billion meant for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment for health workers involved in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the nine states.
Oguagua also said the ICPC had launched a probe into the payments of millions of naira to NDDC for foreign training during the COVID-19 lockdown “which were never attended”, as well as the non-payment of entitlements to students on foreign scholarships.
The ICPC is also investigating “the selling of back-dated contract award letters for projects and awards of contracts that were not captured in the budget of the NDDC.”
“ICPC had already retrieved relevant documents with which to continue investigations towards the recovery of diverted funds and prosecution of breaches of the law,” the statement added.
National Assembly had also recently probed the alleged mismanagement of funds by the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC.
