The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has commenced investigating some directors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for allegedly diverting a sum of N5.474 billion meant for curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in the region.
The said fund was earmarked 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 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.
The House of Representatives is currently investigating alleged N40 billion irregular expenditure in the commission.
