Released N23b Police Pension Fraudster Rearrested

There were  indications on Tuesday that public outcry against the light sentence handed an Assistant Director in the Police Pension Office, Mr. John Yakubu Yusuf, by  a  Federal Capital Territory High Court,  forced the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to rearrest him.

The high court presided over by Justice Mohammed Talba had on Monday  sentenced Yusuf  to only two years’ imprisonment with an option of N750,000 fine for conniving with others to defraud  the PPO and pensioners of N27.2bn.

Even before the  judge rose, many in the courtroom expressed amazement at the judgment. While many Nigerians took to social networks like the Facebook and Twitter mocking the judgment, prominent lawyers and civil rights activists condemned it as a setback to the Federal Government’s anti-corruption crusade.

On  Tuesday, one of the civil rights groups, Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, demanded the probe of Talba for the light sentence.

Also, the Nigeria Labour Congress said the judgment was an indication that the judiciary could not be relied on to deliver the country from monumental corruption.

A source close to the EFCC told one of our correspondents that the commission,  apparently  embarrassed by the public outcry , moved swiftly to redeeem its image by sniffing more into Yusuf’s records in order to nail him.

The source said, “We never expected what happened yesterday(Monday). The reactions that followed the judgment  were  embarrassing to us and that was why we quickly had to look into his files again and sniffed out things that we had overlooked. With  those things, we had to rearrest him for fresh prosecution.”

 EFCC  spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren,  had  told The PUNCH in Abuja that Yusuf  was rearrested because he had a pending case. “He  will  face fresh charges. When you are arrested and you are being investigated, logically you will be rearraigned to face fresh charges, ” he added.

 He later issued a statement in which he  said  Yusuf  would be arraigned today (Wednesday) before Jutice Adamu Bello of a Federal High Court in Abuja on four counts.

 Uwujaren said, “He will be arraigned over non-declaration of his assets and liability in his asset declaration form and his failure to declare his interest in a company known as SY-A Global Services Limited.

“The pension fraud convict is alleged to have used the company, SY-A Global Services Limited, to lodge N250m  with Zenith Bank.

“Yusuf’s re-arraignment  is coming on the heels of a questionable ruling by Justice Mohammed Talba of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday, January 29, in which he was handed a two- year jail term with an option of N250,000 fine on each of the three counts against him.

“Yusuf is one of the six persons standing trial in the N32.8bn Police Pension scam.  The six accused persons in the police pension scam were first arraigned on March 29, 2012, on 16  criminal charges bordering on conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

“The other accused person  are  Esai Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Wada, Mrs. Veronica Onyegbula and Sani Zira. Kigo was the director of the PPO  before he was made a permanent secretary.”