N676m NIS Recruitment Scam: Abba Moro, 4 Others to be Arraigned Today

After being detained for almost a week, former Interior Minister, Abba Moro, will be arraigned today before Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court Abuja, to answer to charges of abuse of procurement process and diversion of public funds preferred against him and four others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Abba Moro The EFCC is slamming 11-count charge him and four others for allegedly collecting N676.6 million from 676,675 job seekers in the fatal Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment exercise in 2014. Moro, a permanent secretary in the ministry at the time, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, a deputy director in the ministry, F. O Alayebami, one Mahmood Ahmadu (at large), and the contracting firm given the recruitment job, Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd, are being accused of defrauding 676, 675,000 Nigerian applicants of N676,675,000. The EFCC said N202,500,000 of the amount was spent on buying No. 1, Lahn Crescent, Maitama, Abuja while N120, 100,000 was used to upgrade No.2, Sigure Close, Off Monrovia Street, Wuse II Abuja. The commission said the recruitment firm, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited and Mahmood Ahmadu converted N101, 200,000 to US dollars for personal use. The accused are also alleged to have contravened the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the contract awards by not following the necessary procedure laid down by the government. The commission said the recruitment firm, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, and Mahmood Ahmadu converted N101, 200,000 to US dollars for personal use.