Alleged N289m theft: Pension thief back in prison custody

From GODWIN TSA Abuja Justice Adamu Bello of a Federal High Court yesterday remanded a former Director of the Police Pension Board, John Yakubu Yusufu, at the Kuje Prison in Abuja. Yusufu was on Monday convicted by an Abuja High Court for stealing N23.3 billion. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged him yesterday for allegedly stealing N289 million belonging to the Police Pension Fund. The amount allegedly stolen by the former director is different from the N23.3 billion for which he was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail or pay a fine of N750, 000 by Justice Mohammed Talba of an Abuja High Court. Unlike his first arraignment, Yusufu pleaded not guilty to the fresh four-count charge slammed against him by the anti-graft agency. His counsel, Mayaki Theodore, made an oral application for his bail which was opposed by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Justice Bello told the defence counsel to formally file the bail application and ordered that Yusufu be remanded at the Kuje Prison till March 1 when the matter comes up for hearing. Recall that the EFCC, which was miffed with the two-year jail, slammed a fresh four-count charge against Yusufu. In charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/14/2013, Yusufu was accused of failing to make full disclosure of his assets and liability in the SY-A Global Services Limited, a company owned solely by him and immediate members of his family, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 27(3) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, CAP E12004. Count two reads: “That you, John Yakubu Yusufu, on or about 14th February, 2012 at Abuja, in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the Declaration of Assets Form filled by you, by not declaring your interest in the N250 million you lodged in a fixed deposit account with the Zenith Bank in the name of SY-A Global Services Limited, a company in which you are the sole signatory to its account and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27(3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, CAP E1 2004”. Count three: “That you, John Yakubu Yusufu, on or about 14th February, 2012 at Abuja, in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the Declaration of Assets Form filled by you, by not declaring your interest in the sum of N10 million you lodged in a fixed deposit account with the First Bank of Nigeria Plc in the name of SY-A Global Services Limited, a company in which you are the sole signatory to its account and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27(3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment, etc.) Act, CAP E1 2004”. In count four, the convict was also accused of failing to declare his interest in the N29 million which he instructed one Danjuma Mele to fix in his company account in the name of Jidag Technical Services Ltd with Diamond Bank. Attached with the charge sheet are list of prosecution witnesses and list of exhibits, which comprised of statements of both the accused persons and that of the witnesses and other relevant documents, which include proof of evidence. Apart from the jail term, the former director is to forfeit 32 properties. He also forfeited N325, 187,867.18 cash. The six accused persons in the police pension scam were first arraigned on March 29, 2012, on 16-count charges, bordering on conspiracy and criminal breach of trust. The other accused were Esai Dangabar, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs.Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula and Sani Habila Zira. Kigo was the director of the Police Pension Office before he was made Permanent Secretary. Another accused person, Christian Madubuike, was included in the charge even as the name of Mrs. Uzoma Cyril Attang was removed from the list of accused persons due to her absence in court, she will be arraigned at a later date. All the accused pleaded not guilty to the amended charge with the exception of Yusufu, who pleaded guilty to counts 18, 19 and 20, paving the way for his convictiON SUN