Shocking revelations have emanated from the on-going staff biometric verification exercise in Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State as money amounting to N89m had been traced to the accounts of three staff of the Local Education Department of the council, Newsline on Sunday has learnt.
Newsline on Sunday findings revealed that the amount was traced to accounts with two new generation banks, while a third account was traced to an old generation bank in Minna, the Niger State capital.
The staff, it was gathered, were diverting salaries of some faceless staff of the education department of the local government to their respective salary accounts in the last six years, before the on-going verification committee uncovered the monumental fraud.
It was further gathered that a particular staff is currently receiving double salaries from the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and the education department.
Apart from being a civil servant, Newsline on Sunday further gathered that the staff, a female, from the southern part of the country (name withheld), was also into private contracting business in Minna.
Newsline on Sunday investigation revealed that the staff, who is on grade level 14, had from April 2015 to date, been collecting about N96,000 from the SSG’s office as monthly salary and about N65,000 from the LEA department of the LG.
According to the bank account statements of the staff in possession of Newsline on Sunday, a total of over N89 million was traced to the three staff accounts.
In one of the transactions of one of the staff within the month of May 2015, a foreign currency of about 80,000 dollars was lodged into the account with an old generation bank.
With this monumental fraud discovered at LEA of of the local government by the verification committee, the staff of the department are now in a state of confusion as the certainty of their job is dangling in the air.
Source: Newsline
