The House of Representatives has mandated the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) to return N924 million to the Ministry of Environment.
The money, which was meant for Great Green Wall project, was a subject of fraudulent transfer, which led to the anti-graft agency warehousing it in its special recovery account.
House Committee on Environment Chairman Uche Ekwunife, while commending the agency for a good job, reminded it that the money was meant for a project for the benefit of Nigerians.
Speaking at an investigative hearing organised by the Committee on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nana Fatima Mede told the Committee how the money was fraudulently transferred from the Great Green Wall project account with the First City Monument Bank (FCMB).
According to her, the bank alerted her of the illegal transfer on 28 November 2014 and she immediately informed the ICPC.
The intervention of the ICPC, according to her led to the stoppage of the fraudulent transfer out of which N400m could not be transferred by the scammers.
ICPC Chairman Ekpo Nta said his commission swung into action after being informed and that as at last week, the entire money had been recovered.
He also disclosed that the major suspect behind the scam, Adeolu Adeyanju, the Chief Executive Officer of Detwinx Global Services Ltd, who fled from the country after being busted, was later apprehended when he sneaked into the country.
He said though investigation into the matter is still on-going because the agency was interested in how the operation was successfully carried out, Adeyanju and some bank workers have been charged to court.
Ekwunife hailed the Permanent Secretary for her quick reaction and the ICPC for its effectiveness.
She said everyone involved in the scam must be made to face the wrath of the law, “We want punishment for all those indicted, including bank workers, civil servants and everyone involved.
“I think there is a canal behind crimes like this and it is our duty to discourage them. We cannot continue to condone this kind of attitude in our banks,” she added.
While mandating the Chief Executive of FCMB to appear before it, the committee mandated the ICPC to return the recovered fund to the ministry within a week.
She said the money was meant for a project and that Nigerians should not be denied the benefits of the project since it was prevented from being lost to fraudsters.
Follow Us