Ohanaeze petitions EFCC, ICPC over monumental frauds on NDDC projects in Abia

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to probe allege frauds on projects by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Abia State.

The group in a statement by its president-general, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and secretary-general, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike officially petitioned the anti-graft agencies on the matter on Friday, December 20, 2019.

It said it listed in its petition, companies and contractors that ripped off huge funds meant for NDDC’s unexecuted, uncompleted and abandoned projects in Abia state.

According to Ohanaeze youths, the move would serve as a deterrent against future occurrence.

“We will investigate NDDC Projects in Imo State and urge Governor Emeka Ihedioha to invite the NDDC acting managing director, Dr Joi Nuneih to the state, as we need to know the degree of monumental frauds committed through NDDC projects in Imo State,” it said.

The group, which frowned at the alleged ‘massive’ discovery of abandoned projects in Abia State, lauded the Nuneih for unravelling the huge scam during her visit to Abia State.

It said that Nuneih purportedly discovered that over 800 projects were not completed while indigenous contractors ripped off the funds meant for the projects.

“We laud President Muhammadu Buhari’s courage to order a forensic auditing of the accounts of NDDC. We alert the Presidency that such forensic auditing will be incomplete without proper directives by President Buhari on urgent identification of most projects awarded in various Niger Delta states.

The group added that the “weighty allegations and monumental frauds committed in Abia State through NDDC’s unexecuted and uncompleted and abandoned projects and over N118 billion siphoned by Abia indigenous contractors between 2015-2019,” was regrettable.

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It argued that “if there were such a huge fraud harvest in Abia, there should be other weighty fraudulent activities in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, Rivers states.

“Presidency should immediately set up independently, a forensic investigative team/committee led by EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu, to investigate all NDDC projects awarded from 2015-2019 in all the Niger Delta states with the aim to ascertain the degree of monumental frauds committed through NDDC unexecuted and uncompleted projects awarded.”

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