Director Of Video Censors Board Arrested For 'Stealing' Generator Worth N30m, 'Siphoning' N150bn

SaharaReporters reports that Thomas Adedayo, the Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), has been arrested by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property (SPIPRPP) over allegations of stealing government property and fraud.

 

A source told SaharaReporters that Adedayo will be arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 6 Abuja, on Wednesday. The panel was said to have recovered a stolen Turban generating set in Lagos on November 13, 2018, from where he sold it. The money paid was also traced to his personal account.

 

Other items recovered from him include Plasma TV sets, air conditioners and computers set, which were alleged to have been stolen from the central store of the Abuja office of the board.

 

Investigations revealed that he was first arrested on November 9, 2018 by the panel, but could not be arraigned immediately. He was later granted administrative bail.

 

In July, SaharaReporters reported a story on a petition accusing Thomas of fraud and converting the board’s assets into his private use.

 

Aside allegations of having sold two official vehicles belonging to the board at the headquarters in Abuja to himself, and converting two buses for field operations in Lagos to his personal use, he was alleged to have forcefully gained entrance into the main store of the Abuja and Lagos offices, ransacking and carting away television sets, refrigerators, air conditioners and other valuable items.

 

He was said to have forged an official licence number plate bearing 'PRESIDENCY NFVCB O1A' when the board is just a parastal under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

 

Adedayo was also accused of breaking the fence of the Lagos office and making away with a Turban generator worth millions of Naira belonging to the board, a case which is still being investigated by the Alagbon Close Police Station, Ikoyi, as a result of his use of fake auction papers to sell the 300KVA generator for N30million to a company in Lagos, and paying only N20,000 into the account of the board.

 

The Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) overhead and capital fund received last year running into over N150billion was also said to have been siphoned through cronies and fake field operations.

 

Some female staff members of the board also accused him of sexual harassement and using their bank accounts for cash lodgement, without rendering any service to the board.

 

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Source: SaharaReporters