Stories by Ime Akpan
LagACos
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested and detained a staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Christy Olabode for allegedly defrauding the agency of N70 million.
Blueprint learnt that Olabode, a level 6 officer in the Accounts Department committed the fraud between 2013 and 2015.
It was alleged that she diverted the money under the guise of furniture allowance for staff and had overtime added the names of ghost workers to pad up the sum.
Blueprint further gathered that the fraud was discovered by the ICT Department early last month and FAAN subsequently issued her a query.
FAAN, in a press statement issued in Lagos said Olabode along with some other staff were fingered in the alleged theft.
The management of FAAN has suspended a staff of the agency involved in alleged diversion of funds from the agency for private use along with those indicted.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives who got wind of the matter decided to investigate it and have detained the prime suspects,” said FAAN management.
“The accused were said to have diverted the agency’s funds into different accounts of staff and others over certain period of time until they were discovered by the management.
“Upon discovery, the management set up a committee, which investigated the major suspect who promptly named others involved in the fraud and they were swiftly suspended.
“It was when the committee drilled the main suspect who confessed that some of the monies were sent to her brother’s accounts that prompted the management to further invite more suspects who were subsequently suspended.
FAAN expressed the hope that EFCC would unravel the details of the fraud and punish those involved and pledged to do its utmost to forestall a recurrence of such act.
In addition, FAAN said it had concluded plans to set up audit team to further investigate financial transaction in the department.
“The objective of the audit is to carry out investigation on the activities of the personnel in the accounts and commercial departments, to close all loopholes on the sources of revenues and to ensure that all revenues are captured and accounted for.
FAAN said after the audit it would further modernise its accounting system, explore new ways to boost revenues and also to continuously monitor activities of its personnel involved in revenue generation and accounting.
“After the audit FAAN will adopt a policy of rotating its personnel in the accounts and commercial departments every two years so that no person would stay in one unit for more than that period of time. People think of perpetrating fraud and all kinds of malfeasance when they stay too long in one post,” said the agency.
