Human rights lawyer, Barrister Festus Keyamo has petitioned Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar over the murder of Mr. Frank Moses allegedly by Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, Bayelsa State, Dr. Douglas Ineyi Ekpebu.
According to Keyamo, late Comrade Frank Moses — a native of Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, a senior administrative staff of the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, Bayelsa State, and Financial Secretary of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP), Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe Chapter — and the rest of the union were involved with the rector of the polytechnic and his management team over numerous unpaid workers’ benefits.
But rather than honourably meeting the legitimate demands of workers, the rector allegedly resorted to threats and administrative harassment of the deceased and the rest of the union leaders.
“These threats took the form of phone calls from the rector as well as phone calls and text messages from the other four persons named above, which can be confirmed from the phones of the deceased as well as those of the rest of the union leaders”, a part of the petition, dated 13th November 2013, read.
“The union leaders are willing to present these text messages to bolster police investigation. These threats were also extended to the national leaders of the Association who visited the institution on a number of occasions to wade into the dispute”.
The petition revealed that the industrial tussle between the union and the rector got to its climax when, after issuing a number of ultimatums, the union embarked on an indefinite strike action on 29th August 2013 and also sued the rector to a Yenagoa High Court in Bayelsa State, requesting information concerning certain financial transactions concerning the institution.
“Against all expectations, these actions of the union did not jolt the rector to his senses. Instead, he and his cohorts named above unashamedly and blatantly intensified their threats and harassment of the deceased and the rest of the union leaders. Specifically, on Thursday, 17th November 2013, the rector invited the union leaders for a meeting with management where he brought in armed thugs to harass and beat them up.
“It is our further brief that on Friday, the 18th October 2013, the deceased and the rest of the union leaders were issued queries for instituting a court action against the rector. On 22nd October 2013, one Mr. Okilo, a member of staff of the polytechnic and a close friend of the rector, sent Comrade Endurance Keyamo, the union chairman, a text message stating that the rector was planning to attack the deceased and Comrade Endurance Keyamo. The text message is still intact. On Wednesday, 6th November 2013, the rector’s cohorts had the entire union leadership arrested over baseless allegations. They were released the same day.
“On Friday, 8th November 2013, the deceased was shot dead by gunmen at his residence at Agudama in Yenagoa, at about 8:45pm. Given the callous threats already issued by the rector and his cohorts towards the deceased and the entire union leadership, it stands to reason that the finger of blame for the aforesaid incident must point in the direction of the Rector and his above named cohorts. The brutal assassination of the deceased came barely a week to the first hearing of the court action instituted against the rector”.
On the strength of these arguments, Keyamo implored the IGP to use his good office to call for the arrest and commence a thorough investigation/prosecution of the rector and the others named above in the unlawful breach of the deceased’s right to life, not only by reason of the need to bring them to book, but also because the lives of others are clearly at stake.
In a separate petition to Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) the same Wednesday, the lawyer accused Rector of the institution, Dr. Ineyi Douglas Ekpebu; Mr. James Neminebor, bursar; Mr. Abadani Woyengikuro, executive assistant to the rector; Mr. Zachariah Owutuamor, personal assistant to the rector; Mr Denson Ojigbare, head of audit; and Ambassador Lawrence Ekpebu, brother to the rector of embezzling N1bn belonging to the institution.
According to Keyamo, the rector and the bursar as well as their cronies brazenly embezzled the funds of the institution through illegal transfers of millions of naira from the institution’s salary account with Fidelity Bank having the account numbers 5060017396 (new) and 051503010000578 (old).
He claimed that the illegal transfers were made without virement and can be traced to the polytechnic’s overhead account and its project account, from which they made direct withdrawals after the illegal transfers, and their personal accounts as well as the accounts of their cronies. He revealed the polytechnic’s overhead account numbers with Fidelity bank as 5030009907(new) and 051503010000587(old), and its project account numbers with First Bank as 2013340298(new) and 6152040000143(old).
“It should be emphasised that these transfers are made without virement, which is tantamount to gross fraud and a breach of regular budgetary rules,” the petition stated.
“While these fraudulent actions of the rector and the bursar as well as their cronies have become so numerous to enlist, a detailed investigation would reveal a tale of callous looting and embezzlement of public funds in broad daylight”.
Specific examples were listed as follows:
“On or around 7th July 2009, the rector transferred the sum of N5m from the salary account into the account of one Ambassador Lawrence Ekpebu. Similar transfers were made in a number of months in 2010.
“On or around 1st March 2010, the rector and the bursar connived and transferred the sum of N2.064m without virement from the institution’s salary account into the UBA account of one Q HOMES AND PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES LTD. The account number of the said firm is 04120030000873.
“On or around 2nd March 2010, the same amount in 1 above was transferred between same parties.
“On or around 22nd March 2010, the rector and the bursar transferred the sum of N2m without virement from the salary account to the overhead account from which they withdrew the money for themselves.
“On or around 28th October 2010, the rector and the bursar transferred the huge sum of N54.09m from the institution’s salary account to one ELIZADE NIGERIA LIMITED at First Bank, Plc, Ogba Branch, Lagos. The account number of the said company is 2462030004600.
“On or around 6th December 2010, the rector and the bursar, in their usual fraudulent manner, connived and transferred the staggering amount of N51m without virement from the institution’s salary account to its project account from which they withdrew the money for themselves.
“On or around 22nd May 2012, the rector and the bursar connived and transferred the whopping sum of N45m without virement from the institution’s salary account to the overhead account from which they withdrew the money for themselves.
“Sometime in 2012, the sum of N30m was transferred from the salary account into the account of Zachariah Owutuamor, the personal assistant to the rector.”
The petition further alleged that in the face of these racketeering, Mr Denson Ojigbare, the head of audit, has kept mute, as he is also a beneficiary of the fraud.
“For instance, on 7th and 8th May 2012, the said Mr. Denson Ojigbare withdrew an amount totaling N3.5m from the salary account. A study of the annual salary account reveals numerous other withdrawals by the same Mr. Denson Ojigbare.
“Our clients are baffled that the rector and his cronies did not only limit their shameful activities to pilfering from the salary account of the institution but also defraud the Federal Government through the use of ghost workers and shadowy promotion of staff of the institution without their knowledge. The rector initiated this callous fraud bothering on the use of ghost workers and clandestine promotion exercise through a letter dated 16th April 2010 sent by him to the executive secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
“In the said letter, which was written by the rector in response to a circular by the NBTE demanding from the rector the increase in personnel cost for the implementation of the February 2010 agreement with staff unions of Federal Polytechnics as it affects the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe; the rector presented to the NBTE some 150 ghost names as lecturers when the institution had less than 15 lecturers, being a new institution”.
The petition also alleged that the rector increased the grades and levels of over 500 non-academic staff thereby promoting them without their knowledge. As a result, the staggering amount of N612.896m was paid into the polytechnic’s coffers.
“Today, this amount cannot be accounted for by the rector and his cohorts as the money has been embezzled”, the petition continued.
“In his unquenchable thirst to milk dry the polytechnic which he is supposed to nurture, the rector, closely aided by his cronies, engaged in the award of fictitious contracts for which they collected unspeakable amounts of monies for themselves. Sometime in March 2010, Executive Assistant to the Rector, Mr Abadani Woyengikuro signed a contract amounting to N96m awarded to one LIVE WATERS AGRIC CONSULT for the building of a farm for the polytechnic. While the polytechnic’s annual account claims that the polytechnic farm has been completed, there is no modicum of doubt that no such farm exists”.
It listed other projects awarded by the rector sometime in 2010 and 2011, which are non-existent but purported to have been completed as: construction and equipment of sick-bay awarded for the sum of N115.9m, procurement of river crafts awarded for the sum of N212.1M, procurement and installation of medical lab for the sum of N185.1m, and construction of two units of ICT centres for the sum of N54.1m.
“A visit to the polytechnic campus at Ekowe in Bayelsa State would clearly reveal that these projects purported to have been completed on paper are non-existent”, the petition added.
“It is most disheartening that an institution which is supposed to build the character of individuals for a better society has now become a hotbed for criminals who sit comfortably at the helms of affairs. Our clients cannot rest on their oars and allow this to continue.”
Keyamo, therefore, asked the ICPC chairman to use his good office to order for the immediate arrest and thorough investigation/prosecution of the aforementioned persons.
