N21.580m pension scam: Police arrest 3 Bauchi pensions board staff

This was revealed by the command's Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mohammad Wakili, in a press statement signed on behalf of the state Commissioner of Police and made available to DAILY POST in Bauchi.

The arrest of the suspects, according to Wakili, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), followed a complaint received from the office of the state governor, Senator Bala Mohammed.

The suspects, Mohammed B. Mohammed, an auditor; Musa Bappayo, a computer operator and Samaila Musa, according to the police spokesman, upon interrogations confessed to having fraudulently inserted about seven illegal names into the pension records.

On the 12th of September 2020 at about 1300hrs, a letter of complaint from the office of Executive Governor Bauchi State signed by Musa Mohammed Kirfi, PhD. PPS to His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State against the following suspects, Mohammed B. Mohammed Auditor of the board, Musa Bappayo computer operator of the board and Samaila Musa, all staff of Local Government Pension Board was received through the office of the commissioner of police for discrete investigation.

"When interrogated, the above-mentioned persons confessed to have inserted about seven (7) illegal beneficiaries' names into the pensions records fraudulently," the PPRO informed.

The police spokesman stated that Samaila Musa (38), a resident of Federal Low Cost, Bauchi, inserted the names of Mohammed Namamu, also known as Muhamadun Faiza and Abubakar Muazu.

None of the two beneficiaries whose names were inserted by Musa, DSP Wakili stated, are civil servants in the state, adding that they "receive sixty-five thousand (N65,000) and eighty-five thousand (N85,000) per month for the period of eighteen (18) month which accumulated to two million seven hundred thousand (N2, 700,000)".

According to the PPRO, "Yasir Sulaiman 37yrs of Bayan airport has two candidates, whom he received (N320,000) per month for the period of (23) months which accumulated to seven million, three hundred and sixty thousand (N7, 360,000).

"Garba Bala 'm' aged 39yrs of Tirwun Bauchi who introduced two candidates and received N300,000 per month for thirty-six (36) months which accumulated to ten million eight hundred thousand (N10, 800,000).

"Umar Mohammed Madara 'm' aged 49yrs of Ibrahim Bako, Bauchi, has one candidate, who received one hundred and twenty thousand (N120,000) per month for the period of six (6) month which accumulated to seven hundred and twenty thousand (N720,000)."

The police spokesman stated that all suspects have been arrested and an investigation is in progress, adding that effort is on top gear to arrest the other fleeing suspects.