We sacked late Kogi director over N225.9m fraud -Govt

The Kogi State government has said a late director in the Kogi State Civil Service, Mr Alphonsus Ameh, was sacked due to his alleged involvement in fraudulent diversion of N225, 936, 425.72 pensioners’ fund.

Alphonsus died recently of blood pressure related ailments which he reportedly suffered few days after he was handed a sack letter by the state government.

But the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Petra Onyegbule, said yesterday that the late Ameh and four others in the State Pension Board were sacked due to misappropriation of Pensioners’ fund amounting to the N225.9 million.

According to Onyegbule, a nine - man Senior Management Committee was set up by the State Government, which had Mr Aiyedero Jethro, the Ag. Permanent Secretary as Chairman, and Mr John Ekele, the Ag. DAF as Secretary, for fair hearing.

She added that an emergency meeting of the committee was held on May 4, 2017, which drew the attention of the members to the report from the State Intelligence Bureau and the review of the same by State Auditor General, Mr Yusuf Okala.

She said that the report was on a case of misappropriation of pensioners’ fund, forwarded to the office of the Head of Civil Service by the Secretary to the State Government where the governor had directed that immediate action be taken.

“In the report, the auditor general recommended the immediate dismissal of all civil servants indicted in the police report. The personal confession by Mr Alphonsus Ameh to the State Intelligence Bureau that he (Ameh) had commenced repayment of his share attested to the fact that he actually committed the fraud…. It is on the recommendation of the committee that Mr Aphonsus Yahaya Ameh and four others were sacked in June 2017,” Petra said.

Onyegbule named the other staff involved in alleged fraud to include Mrs Florence Adewunmi, Chairperson of the Pensions Board; Mrs Haruna Amina Mudi, Director Accounts; Mr Abdul Musa, Deputy Director Accounts; and Mr Itodo Gabriel, Head of Accounts, all of the State Pension Board.