Police Begin Investigation Into Over N200m Contract Fraud Against Former Enugu UBE Boss

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, November 26th, 2013

Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Enugu state police command has commenced full scale investigation into an alleged contract fraud to the tune of Two hundred and thirty million, Two hundred and forty five thousand naira (#230,245,000.00) allegedly perpetrated by the former chairman of Enugu state Universal Basic Education Board ENSUBEB, Mrs. Ethel Nebo Ezeabasili.

Disclosing this to African Examiner Tuesday in Enugu, the state police public Relations Officer PPRO, Ebere Amarizu, (DSP) said Ezeabasili, was alleged to have conspired with others to defraud Enugu state Government the said amount between September- October 2012.

According to the state police image maker,”It was gathered that the alleged fraud happened in the course of an award of a contract which did not involve ENSUBEB board members who were supposed to be members of tender board whose duty is to recommend procurement and contracts.

Amarizu said the former ENSUBEB boss has questions to answer for not following due process in awarding contracts

“She is also being accused of using more than two company names and that some of the contractors got the alleged contract through her without biding evidence and that the contractors involved could not be traced, a development that created room for the suspicion that the transactions were handled by her personally. It was based on the foregoing that a written complaint was made against the former chairman of ENSUBEB so that her alleged fraudulent activities could be investigated”.

“As it stands, some suspects have been arrested in connection with the alleged crime and they are helping the police in their investigations, just as the former chairman of ENSUBEB had made some useful statement to the operatives.

“The suspects are yet to produce any valid document to buttress the award of contract neither has the former chairman presented any valid document regarding the award of the alleged contract.”

However, a source at ENSUBEB who did not want his name in print, revealed that the alleged contract award did not follow due process and that some of the alleged individuals/companies appeared to be cronies of former ENSUBEB chief Executive.