LAGOS JULY 28TH (URHOBOTODAY)-It is amazing that while people of Delta State are yet to benefit from the objectives of which Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) is set up, a syndicate headed by a legal staff of the Commission was alleged to have been milking the agency dry with the collaboration of obnoxious staff of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC)-
Urhobotoday an online medium investigation had revealed that a strong syndicate headed by an Itsekiri’s trained lawyer is behind the frequent investigation by EFCC of senior officials of DESPADEC to answer to various allegations of contract fraud in order to freeze the Commission of several millions of Naira.
Urhobotoday gathered that since the emergence of the said official as Acting Head of one of the Units under the Chairman, Mr Kpogho’s department, cases of EFCC initiation had risen with the said lawyer acting as negotiator and middle man between EFCC Officials and the Commission.
Urhobotoday discovered that the Chairman of the Commission who happened to be the lawyer’s kinsman was alleged to readily succumb to releases of money ranging between N5m to N7m to settle each round of EFCC invitations in which only between N2m to N3m would be spend on settlement while the remaining is shared among senior officials of the Commission.
We gathered that the suspected lawyer has once boasted that DESOPADEC is his farm, adding that anybody that blocked his way would be crushed.
A source revealed that the young man reported to be very diabolical was alleged to have boasted that he was responsible for the former Head of Legal Unit of DESOPADEC wealth by the regular financial legal settlement that came the way of the Commission.
Urhobotoday discovered that the same young man within three years in the saddle built a palatial edifice at the Warri Government Reservation Area (GRA) close to DESOPADEC Headquarters. To demonstrate how wealthy he is, he built a Church within the precinct of his compound containing several flats valued over 100 million Naira. He also owned fleet of luxurious cars which he drives to the office with impunity.
Alleged to always having ears of the Chairman, the lawyer is regarded in many quarters as “Mr. Fix It” of DESOPADEC as he is alleged to facilitate documents to the Chairman whom they claimed hardly spend a week in Nigeria after dumping files at his Sapele residence unattended. In the absent of the Chairman, the lawyer practically runs the affairs of the Commission.
Report had it that only recently, EFCC invited five officials of DESPADEC to answer questions on allegations of N800m contract fraud brought to it by a petition written by one Mr Evans Ovwurie. The contract was reported to have been awarded during the Chief Okrika led board.
For two months now, the invited officials and others have been reporting to EFCC in Lagos with “Mr Fix It” as middle man. This is contrary to the Chairman’s previous warning that those with personal cases with the EFCC should be solely financially responsible for them as against using the Commission fund for such.