The immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh has been implicated in yet another fresh N4.4 billion NIMASA fraud.
Immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has implicated the the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.) in a N4.4 billion fraud involving the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency. It was authoritatively gathered that a fresh investigation into a N4.4bn billion transferred from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency into the accounts of top officers of the Nigerian Air Force revealed that the money was diverted into a private account.
According to the EFCC, the investigation was part of efforts to ensure improved security in the Nigerian maritime sector on August 26, 2013, which led to the two agencies sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the NAF with a view to providing effective air surveillance and monitoring of the nation’s coastal waters.
The purpose of the MoU was for the Air Force to carry out aerial surveillance, reconnaissance, search and rescue, tactical airlift, enforcement and provide intelligence reports to NIMASA, which would aid in the fight against piracy, illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism.
While Badeh, who was the Chief of Air Staff at the time, signed on behalf of the NAF, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, who was the Director-General of NIMASA, signed on behalf of the maritime agency. This facilitated the transfer of billions of naira from NIMASA to NAF. The EFCC has revealed that the money was diverted to private accounts and was not used for the purposes it was meant. The source also revealed why Badeh and a former Director, Finance and Accounting at NAF, Air Cdre S.A. Yushau, were transfered from its Abuja headquarters to Lagos last week.
Throwing more light on the alleged fraud, an EFCC source said: “We brought Badeh and Yushau to Lagos to answer to fresh allegations. The MoU that was signed by Badeh was for NAF aircraft to patrol the creeks to prevent pipeline vandalism and illegal oil bunkering
“As part of the agreement, money was transferred to the Air Force in two tranches – N1.4bn and N3bn – but the money was mostly in dollars. But the money was not used for that purpose.
“Rather, the MoU was a conduit pipe to siphon money from NIMASA to Air Force account and then to companies in which they had interests or their wives were directors or signatories.”
According to The Punch, the source revealed that in order to divert the money, NAF top chiefs set up some small oil companies under the pretext that the companies were supplying aviation fuel to military aircraft. Money was then paid into the bank accounts of these companies but the fuel was never delivered.
The source added, “The money that was transferred from NIMASA to the Air Force was for maintenance of the equipment and the fuelling of the aircraft but the money, which was mostly in dollars, went straight into the accounts of Bureau de Change operators.
“The money was changed from dollars and then returned to the Air Force men.
“They then set up dummy oil companies, which made it look as if the companies were rendering services. They made it appear as if the companies were supplying aviation fuel to the NAF, which is not true.
“Investigations revealed that the companies were opened in readiness for money to be paid into their accounts. We discovered that in these companies, these officers have interest in it or their wives are directors or signatories to the accounts.” the source revealed.