The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Saturday said it had interrogated some directors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for alleged diversion of N5.474 billion meant for curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in the region.
The cash was voted for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers in the nine states in the Niger Delta.
ICPC said it was probing alleged diversion of funds, procurement fraud and misappropriation of the agency’s Covid-19 funds.
A statement issued by the spokesperson of ICPC, Mrs. Azuka C. Ogugua, said the anti-graft agency was also looking at how NDDC made payments for foreign training during the COVID-19 full lockdown.
The commission said the probe would also cover non-payment of entitlements to students on foreign scholarships.
The statement said: “Some directors of NDDC were interrogated at the commission’s headquarters recently after months of intelligence gathering, following the receipt of petitions from Nigerians on alleged illegalities and contracts fraud by some officials of the agency.
“Top officials of the agency are being investigated for their complicity in an alleged diversion of N5.474 billion meant for the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers, handling the Covid-19 pandemic in the nine states of NDDC.
“The commission is also investigating the payment of millions of naira to staff of the agency for foreign trainings during the Covid-19 full lockdown which were never attended, as well as non-payment of entitlements to students on foreign scholarships.
“Other allegations being investigated by ICPC include the selling of back-dated contract award letters for projects and awards of contracts that were not captured in the budget of the NDDC.
“ICPC had already retrieved relevant documents with which to continue investigations towards the recovery of diverted funds and prosecution of breaches of the law.”
The House of Representatives is currently investigating alleged N40 billion irregular expenditure in the commission.
