The petition obtained by SaharaReporters was initiated by one Sunday Phillip and Ehoche Ehoche who identified as social rights crusaders and public accountability advocates.
Some members of the Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency in Benue State have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the alleged misconduct of their lawmaker, Godday Samuel Odagboyi and his aides.
The petition obtained by SaharaReporters was initiated by one Sunday Phillip and Ehoche Ehoche who identified as social rights crusaders and public accountability advocates.
According to them, Odagboyi alongside some of his aides have been involved in COVID-19 loan kickbacks. They allegedly collected kickbacks from constituents who applied for the COVID-19 loan.
The petition filed by the Choicevine Legal & Consulting, identified some of the co-accused as Ekah Benard Musa, Hon. Ogweje Usman Ngbede (Victor) among others.
They were accused of mismanagement, extortion, criminal conspiracy and diversion of the COVID-19 intervention funds/loans meant for the benefit of some constituents in Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency of Benue State.
According to the petition, the COVID-19 intervention funds/loans were sometimes paid by NIRSA Microfinance Bank directly into a bank account belonging to Benard Ekah Musa who is a senior legislative aide to Odagboyi after which the funds are dispersed indiscriminately to some selected constituents using a partial consideration.
The public accountability officers further called on the anti-graft agencies to without delay invite the lawmaker and his aides for questioning over the allegation.
The petition, filed on April 25 reads, “Our clients are social/developmental right crusaders and public accountability advocates. The Commission would recall that there was a global lockdown owing to the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus in 2019.
“The Commission would further recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria released various amounts of funds to citizens to cushion the negative impacts of the lockdown. Some of the covid-19 intervention funds were packaged in the form of soft loans while others were disbursed in the form of outright grants.
“It is common knowledge that the Covid-19 intervention funds/loans were principally disbursed by the Central Bank of Nigeria's funded NIRSA Microfinance Bank. It may interest the Commission to know that Hon. Godday Samuel Odagboyi is the current House of Representatives' member, representing the people of Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.
“The other suspects mentioned herein are his aides. Our clients had received numerous complaints from some constituent members of Apa/Agatu Federal constituency regarding the disbursement of the covid-19 intervention funds/loans.
“It was alleged that the office of a certain Hon. Godday Samuel Odagboyi connived with some staff of the NIRSAL Microfinance bank to receive kickbacks out of the amount of monies of the covid-19 intervention funds/loans released to the constituents.
“The alleged criminal scheme involved the suspects mentioned hereto in this petition and some other aides of the Hon. Godday Samuel Odagboyi wherein it was that they collected various sums of monies out of the covid-19 intervention funds/loans via their bank account numbers on the false pretence that the kickbacks were needed by the CBN personnel in order to facilitate future fund release.
“It was also alleged that in some instances, the Covid-19 intervention funds/loan were paid by NIRSA Microfinance Bank directly into a bank account belonging to one Mr. Benard Ekah Musa who is a senior legislative aide to the Hon. Godday Samuel Odagboyi which funds were then dispersed indiscriminately to some selected constituents using a partial consideration.
“It is strange why NIRSAL Microfinance Bank would allegedly pay loan monies belonging to numerous beneficiaries into a single bank account of a political aide for disbursement is an abuse of due process and capable of breeding corruption.
“This allegation of criminal conspiracy needs to be painstakingly investigated so as to restore the waning hope of the citizenry of any future intervention programmes that may be embarked upon by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
”OUR PRAYERS: Our clients respectfully pray and urge the Commission to specifically undertake the following actions viz: i Conduct a thorough investigation into the above mentioned suspects with a view to determining their involvements in the covid-19 intervention funds/loans alleged fraud.
“ii To thoroughly examine the staff of the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank and the relevant public/civil servants and to also x-ray and carefully analyze all the bank account numbers and other financial records of the Hon. Godday Samuel Odagboyi, Benard Ekah Musa, Hon. Ogweje Usman Ngbede (Victor) and any other aides, cronies, staff, friends, political/business associates and family members with a view to determining whether the Hon. Godday Samuel Odagboyi unlawfully derived any direct or indirect pecuniary benefit from the proceeds of the kickbacks of the Covid-19 intervention funds/loans meant for the constituents of Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency.
“CONCLUSION: Our clients are available and they will be eager to provide any relevant information and documents at their disposal and to also take the team of investigators to interface with the victims of the covid-19 intervention funds/loans alleged scam to aid their investigation.
”Our clients wish to use this medium to pledge their unwavering loyalty to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his anti-corruption crusade. Our clients truly count on the Commission's wise and prompt action, please."
Document : Benue Constituents Petition Anti-graft Agencies, EFCC, ICPC Over Lawmaker, Odagboyi’s Diversion... by Sahara Reporters on Scribd