How Presidency Settled Boyloaf, Ex Niger Delta Warlord, Others with N4. 72bn Via Transfer from Public to Private Accounts-Investigation

*How Presidency Settled Boloaf, Ex Niger Delta Warlords With N4.72bn Via Transfer From Public To Private Bank Accounts - Investigation*

A few weeks back, news broke that the now suspended minister of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, authorized payments totaling over half a billion Naira from public treasury into a privately owned bank account, the nation heaved. Opinion leaders, corruption watchers were united in the conclusion that she infracted sections of extant Financial Regulation Acts, a part of which expressly labeled such actions as intent to steal public money. 

She has since been suspended from office by an order of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and is still inquisition. But findings by Premium Times indicate that apart from not being a lone offender, the infraction has indeed been an ongoing affairs in almost all federal Ministries, Agencies, MDAs, etc. As if that is not enough, it has been revealed that for several years, the federal government deployed the same illegal process to settle ex Niger Delta warlords and others. 

In a report published on Tuesday, February 6, the online news medium detailed how some of the ministries and agencies frittered public funds through private accounts disbursement, fingering the Office of the Senior Adviser to the President on Niger Delta as the most guilty of all the government agencies, ministries and MDAs indicted. 

According to medium, the office paid over N4bn believed to be "settlements" into privately owned accounts belonging to some ex Niger Delta warlords, including BoyLoaf.

A breakdown indicates that the office paid N328m into the private account of Odiki Jacon, followed by the payment of N33,280m to Harry Tom Tony Ikemeje. The office made subsequent payments into other six privates accounts, including N257, 808,000; N262, 400,000; N1, 838,112,000; N200, 736,000; N257, 500,000 and N131, 800,000 belonging to messrs Torughedi Selky, Reuben Wilson, Dadimaka Adokiye Sami, Abraham Ibitari Mark, Chief Bibopiri Ajube and Dobomabo Jackrich. 

Between July and November 2023, it equally paid N564, 763m to Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, alias Boyloaf, in over 18 transactions, between July and November 2023. The payments are recorded as bulk stipends to the delegates of his different camps. 

Monies paid by the various ministries through privately owned bank accounts include, Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning; N1,544,347,875; Women Affairs, N1,006,308,476; Humanitarian affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, N918,591696; Niger Delta, N216,887,482; Aviation and Aerospace Development, N88,887,186; Communications and Digital Economy N80,166,124 and Petroleum Resources, N22,470,000

The different MDAs, Agencies and commissions were not left out. In addition to the hefty lump sum channelled by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, the second largest transferred mines went through the office of the SGF, findings say the office paid out N3.1bn into 15 privately owned accounts between March and December of 2023. others are the FGN Treasury transmitted N346,739,381 through privately owned bank accounts while the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, disbursed N308,052,000 through the same channel. Others include the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, N211,741,802; Police Force, N173,866,493; Budget Office of the Federation, N130,436,546; Auditor-General of the Federation, N120,228,000; 

National Agency for Science and Engineering, NASENI, N104,781,828; National Commission for Persons with Disability, N100,821,800; Federal Character Commission, N89,828,500; Accountant-General of the Federation, N87,435,162; National Commission for Refugees N64,685,750; National Human Rights Commission, N64,352,435; Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, N28,990,120 and National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult & Non-formal Education, N17,673,801

Former President, Muhammadu Buhari, his second in command, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, former SGF, Boss Mustafa, Frank Mba, among others, are also listed as beneficiaries of the largesse from public accounts paid into privately owned accounts.

In the case with Mba, now a Deputy Inspector-General of police, he is said to have received controversial payments to the tune of N89.8m when he was Force spokesperson for the production of Presidential portraits in police offices and “airing” a police programme on TV. Ordinarily, provisions for such payments ought to be made directly to the force rather than individual officers.

All the payments are contrary to relevant provisions of Financial Regulation Act, particularly Chapter 7, Section 713, which expressly forbids such transfers. Inter alia, it states:

“Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account. 

“Any officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention.”