NewsNiger Delta Elders Petition Buhari, NSA To Suspend Ndiomu Over Alleged Fraud,...

Niger Delta Elders Petition Buhari, NSA To Suspend Ndiomu Over Alleged Fraud, Forgery

February 08,(THEWILL) – Traditional Rulers and Elders from the six states of the Niger Delta have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over the rising cases of alleged fraud and diversion of funds under the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, presided over by the Interim Coordinator, Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd.).

Among the allegations thrown up in the petition addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Mohammed Monguno (rtd.), dated February 7, 2023, were cases of alleged forgery of Late Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo’s signature to backdate contract award letters for purported to contractors.

The traditional rulers, elders, men, women, and youth groups from across the Niger Delta region under the aegis of the Coalition of ex-militant Leaders, led by former General Boma Inewariku, Gabriel Atumani Victor and James Ebiaredei Collins, claimed that there is the need for the suspension of the Interim Administrator, to allow for proper investigations into the alleged forging of the signature of Late Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo, to illegally backdate and award contracts worth billions of naira in order to raise payments for some persons within the Presidency including the President’s Nephew Mamman Daura, to fulfil his pledge of N5 billion as returns for his appointment as Amnesty Boss.

In the petition, the group also claimed that “for his continuous involvement with top Amnesty officials in multiple cases of alleged open public funds embezzlement, fraud and corruption with his cohorts and the brazen demand for returns for their appointment into top offices at the Amnesty office is mind-boggling, disgusting and disheartening. It should be shown that our public offices are not for sale. And that appointment into the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) should be on merit and service to the people of the Niger Delta region.

“Therefore, as stakeholders from the Niger Delta region and owners of the PAP, we cannot continue to remain silent as our resources are continually been siphoned by corrupt individuals, and for the memories of our loved ones who sacrificed, fought and thousands of them died prior to the proclamation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in 2009 be destroyed by an incompetent and corrupt individual. Since the appointment of the present administration into the Presidential Amnesty office, not a single PAP beneficiary or anyone from the Niger Delta region has been deployed for training or empowered.

“Our children are not trained and empowered, and worst still, Ndiomu continues to delist our people from the Amnesty programme to divert their legitimate payments for himself and his aides, knowing that his tenure expires in about 22 days (1st March 2023). The Present management of the Amnesty office cannot list a single achievement since his appointment to date, rather, the Amnesty Programme and the Niger Delta region have been in chaos with unrelenting allegations of blatant public funds stealing, fraud and corruption.

“We, Boma Inewariku, Gabriel Atumani Victor, James Ebiaredei Collins of the Coalition of Ex-militant Leaders, in our previous petitions to you, have called on your good office to immediately suspend Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd.) Management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, and in his place, appoint the most senior civil servant to take over the running and administration of the Presidential Amnesty Programme pending the outcome of the investigation against the Interim Administration.

“We, have it on good authority that officials of the Presidential Amnesty office have paid money to get appointments including the position of Interim Administrator and that they needed to raise back these funds. Merely three days after new management was set up on September 15, 2022. Later in separate meetings, with Administration Director (DA): Ms Khalimat Balogun, they were advised to hire two of his predecessor’s closest aides, one of whom had been terminated for gross misconduct. He is one Flt. Lt. Terry Ajobena (rtd.). He was reinstated as the Technical Adviser (TA), and the other Mr Wilfred Musa -Head of Reintegration (HOR). So that her own end can be covered by the duo – Wilfred Musa (HOR) and Flt. Lt. Terry Ajobena (rtd.) TA.

“That at the inception of this administration, there was N600M (Six hundred million naira) in the coffers of the office. If not for graft or embezzlement, interim management with a mandate to wind down an office in six months, should not be procuring new vehicles under any guise if not for the huge fraudulent scheme masterminded and operationalised DP – Mr Simone Omachoko and his team, Gotham Edwards -a retired procurement officer who has been converted to a consultant staff to continue in his clandestine activities; and Jide Odofina level 9 procurement officer.

“Those kickbacks were made from the vehicle purchased of over N150 million (One hundred and fifty million naira) from DP’s and DA’s team. The PVs are there for your records. The duo of Ado Dikko and Simone Omachoko advised him to appoint an independent aide to be in charge of the coordination, since they are civil servants, but they are willing to facilitate the process for him and look at other loopholes in the system he can take advantage of. The duo firstly advised the new Interim Administrator – to increase the security vote that had been newly reviewed upward by his predecessors – Col. Miland Dixon Dikkio (rtd.) from N30 million (Thirty million naira) to N50 million (Fifty million naira), so it was further reviewed upward by the Interim Administrator -Gen. Ndiomu (rtd.) to N80m (Eighty million naira) without following any upward review process.”

They also claimed that on the duo’s advice, Gen. Barry Ndiomu-led management appointed one Lt. Col. S. S Ringim (rtd.) as special adviser logistics (SA Logistics), who now champions the act of facilitating the funds directly through bureau de change operators. That he Lt. Col. S. S. Ringim, facilitates and supervises the funds directly from the accounts department in connivance with the DFA – Ado Dikko, raising payment voucher (PV) credit distribution into various account department officers, ranging from N30M- (Thirty million naira), N40M – Forty million naira), N50M – (Fifty million naira), N60M- (Sixty million naira) and other configuration …., in similar sums. Lt. Col. S. S. Ringim (Rtd), knowing that his responsibilities are criminal, willfully takes the risk for his appointor – Gen. Ndiomu, who signs all the approvals on all the payments “Advance Payments.

“He Lt. Col. S. S. Ringhim (rtd.), pays back all bank charges accrued to the accounting officers whose accounts were used in the graft transactions of naira for naira and kobo for kobo. As part of the reward of aiding & abetting the fastest known graft in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, the accounting staff were fully sponsored to attend a training course in Kent- United Kingdom on the week of 21st November 2022. 12., Gen. Ndiomu (rtd.) also in the same vein appointed one Mr Inemotimi Angalapele as Special Adviser on stakeholders’ matters, otherwise called (SA – Stakeholders Matters). The relationship between Angalapele (SA Stakeholders Matter) and Lt. Col. S. S. Ringim (Rtd)- SA logistics, is that funds already paid to SA Stakeholders matters are also taken as advance/project account. Which is a systematic graft process in “double payment or double accounting” and a procedure implemented by Gen. Ndiomu (rtd.).

“Remember that there were two directors he solicited to brainstorm on the graft before perpetuation, DFA – Ado Dikko mentioned in paragraphs 3 & 5; now introducing the dimension of the Director of Procurement – Simone Omachoko. In his own department, he mainly cooked up supply contracts with mainly two of his officers: Mr Edward Gotham (EG) – a retired Level 14 Procurement officer, who had been in that office since 2013 and had been in charge of the stores. Taking delivered supplies as supplied, but returned back to the supplier at exchange value; After retirement, he committed his services to a consultant’s staff as the “Don of Procurement department” continued in acts of blatant theft/graft/forgery…. And one Mr Jide Odofin (JO) a level 9 Procurement officer, who started his career in that office over 3 years ago. He cooks the book for bought Award letters, rewrites tender board documents for graft purposes, under the supervision of Edward Gotham and Simone Omachoko.

“That, under the watch of Gen. Ndiomu (rtd.), a contractor by the name of Ms Charity Vedelago who claimed to be a big sister to Gen. Ndiomu (rtd.) Partnered with the accounting staff who recognizes that her supplies files are forged by printing new award letters under the administration of Brig. Gen. Paul T. Boreh (rtd.), former Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. His signature is forged on the award letters of about 20 such files from the same lady, each award letter exchange monetary value is N99M – (Ninety nine million naira). Also, details of other procurement officers are also forged in the files by GE and JO.

“Knowing that the files will be asked to be checked by the procurement department for authenticity; to the novice or unsuspecting mind, it looks right after the perfection and cook up, then payment voucher is raised and sent to audit, and account finalises the graft. 16. That the week starting 10th of October 2022, a disagreement ensued between the DPSimone Omachoko and DFA – Ado Dikko over who is best servicing the financial embezzlement of the interim Administrator (IA) – Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd.). It seems that the DFA is having a field day as he has managed to impress the ‘IA’ with over N1.2B (One billion and two hundred million naira) – using tribal and religious affiliates with the slush fund launderer in the person of Lt. Col. S. S. Ringim (Rtd)- SA Logistics.”

“As reiterated in paragraph 11, the animosity between the duo was so bad that their subordinates are all aware of it. The accounting staff rebelled at the fact that payment vouchers were raised with their names but without any part of the fund coming back to them on what they were promised and foreign trips as far as they keep their mouth short, this was barely the 4TH week into Ndiomu’s administration. In the week commencing 24th of October 2022, the SA logistics. – Lt. Col. S. S Ringim (rtd.), asked a similar slush fund same or similar scenario to paragraph 5. The account officers revolted, and the advance/project payment was routed directly with a payment voucher in Lt. Col. S. S. Ringim’s (Rtd) name.

“The amount is N77M – (Seventy-seven million naira). 20. In determining the graft, embezzlement, self-enrichment, or abuse of public fund case of all parties mentioned in the report, it is important to mention the fact that he the interim administrator is the coordinator of the said fraudulent act and should be made to account for the funds meant to pay genuine contractors who are been punished for not accepting to bribe or part with their contract payment that has diminished in value over the years.

“That no staff under this current dispensation is allowed to call for files except the named person appointed by the IA in the person of one Mr Miebi, who under the instruction of the IA can process any file for an agreed fee by the chief executive. 22. In keeping a strong and unapproachable front, he yells and shouts in the pretence that he is a corruption-free Czar, accusing other staff of corrupt practices and thieves, whereas he is the worst of all. But looking very deeply into the person he obviously acts out as someone with certain health challenges of the mind. 23. As of the time of his appointment -15th September 2022 and resumption on the 19th September 2022 as stated in paragraph 4, there was N600M (Six hundred million naira), and subsequently, as of 7th-week into his administration, over N10.4B (Ten billion and four hundred million) came into the Amnesty coffers; This from the monthly allocation of N5.4B (Five billion and four million naira).

“They had accused his staff of systemic graft of selling scholarship slots, but they master-minded the greatest graft which stands at over N2.5B (Two billion five hundred million naira) as of the 7th week after their appointment. In total so far, N11.4B (Eleven billion and four hundred million naira) has been expended with lots of questionable expenditures, aside from the N2.5B (Two billion and five hundred million) or more that comes to the interim administrator in misappropriation and graft, about N2B plus (Two billion naira) plus went to the trio of DA, PD & the DFA and their team members. The records are still very much there and fresh. That came from the N11.4B (Eleven billion and four million naira), so far under him. 26. It is a shame that the agencies saddled with anti-graft responsibilities have been reduced to accomplices as their officers have connived with the perpetrators in sharing the loot.

“We are calling on you, the National Security Adviser, to recommend to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) GCFR, to immediately suspend the interim administrator Maj. Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd.), and all the aforementioned accomplices, investigate and bring them all to book. 28. That, the essence of suspending all aforementioned in the alleged fraud, is to ensure they do not tamper with or destroy all vital or important evidence(s). Sir, we know that his late father (Late Maj Gen Charles Bebeye Ndiomu) was known to you but we believe that his appointment was made on the bases of certain assumptions at the time, but he has all eagerly betrayed your trust and betray the oat of the rank of a retired Major General and has acted as a common criminal if these allegations are proved to be true Sir. Please leave a legacy and stand with the genuine contractors who have unpaid bank loans occasioned by organised crime that has riddled this office since the beginning of your administration to date.

“We hope his case will not be swept under like his cousin brother Prof. Nelson Brambaifa -Former acting MD Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). It appears that there are ‘genetic factors’ representing a particular source of influence of criminal behaviour’ in the duo of Maj. Gen Barry Ndiomu (Rtd) and his cousin Prof. Nelson Brambaifa. This heinous criminality should not be allowed without bringing them to book. Sir if there are no consequences for this kind of behaviour or alleged abuse of office, then we as a nation cannot move forward sir. 31. Sir, it seems the cousin brother in Prof. Nelson Brambaifa has committed all those financial atrocities and nothing has happened to him, so that has emboldened Maj Gen. Barry Ndiomu (Rtd) to carry on as if he is untouchable!

“We have no fate or hope in the graft agencies as they have either shredded the allegations and facts provided to them or in connivance with the perpetrators of this graft altogether. 33. Sir, we are hopeful that you will swing into action and save the massive, alleged looting going on at the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).”

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