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Ayomide Awe
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, has reportedly ordered the arrest of individuals accused of impersonating officials of the Nigeria Customs Service to sell seized vehicles to the anti-corruption agency.
The alleged fraud came to light after the suspects allegedly approached Aliyu at his residence, claiming to have vehicles seized by the customs service available for sale, according to a report by SaharaReporters.
Sources cited in the report said that the ICPC chairman later arranged for the commission to pay for the vehicles, only for the alleged sellers to be identified as impostors.
The suspects were reportedly arrested on the president’s orders.
However, details of the alleged arrests and the identities of the suspects were not independently established in the report.
Documents obtained by SaharaReporters reportedly show that the commission processed payments totaling ₦31.6 million in August 2024 for vehicle purchases, value added tax and related expenses.
The payments included ₦20 million to the Nigeria Customs Service, ₦1.5 million to the Federal Revenue Service as VAT, ₦8 million to an individual identified as Muhammed Ibrahim for the purchase of vehicles and another ₦2.1 million to the same individual for the replenishment of vehicles said to have been auctioned at the commission.
The documents also raised questions about the bank account details provided for the transaction and discrepancies in the number of vehicles listed in different payment records.
A payment voucher dated August 15, 2024 showed that ₦20 million had been paid to the “Nigerian Customs Service” for the purchase of three Toyota Hilux vehicles and two Toyota buses.
Another voucher, dated the same day, recorded a payment of ₦1.5 million to the FIRS as VAT at 7.5% on the purchase of the vehicle.
A separate voucher showed that ₦8 million had been paid to Muhammed Ibrahim for a Toyota Hilux and a Toyota bus.
On August 22, 2024, the commission processed an additional payment of ₦2.1 million to Ibrahim for the refueling of seven vehicles, listed as four Toyota Hilux vehicles and three Toyota buses.
The four vouchers were reportedly charged to the Commission’s Intervention Fund.
They were certified by Bola Olagunju Lateefat, identified as the Expenditure Controlling Officer and signed by Williams Cletus, while Sunday Ibrahim was listed as the Paying Officer.
Documents reportedly showed that the commission raised concerns about discrepancies in bank account details provided in correspondence purportedly originating from the customs service.
A letter attributed to the NCS Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation Department, addressed to the ICPC chairman, reportedly confirmed the allocation of four Hilux vehicles and three buses to the commission.
According to the letter, three Hiluxes and two buses were allocated through an allocation committee, while one Hilux and one bus were obtained through a public auction.
The letter also identified Ibrahim Muhammed as an authorized and authorized customs auctioneer.
He directed that payment for the three Hilux vehicles and two buses be made into an account in the name of the Nigeria Customs Service, with account number 3000008059.
However, payment for the additional Hilux vehicle and bus was routed to an account identified as belonging to Ibrahim Muhammed, with account number 4235695567 domiciled at Zenith Bank.
A separate document dated July 30, 2024 and described as a “direct auction assignment” letter reportedly listed other vehicles, including a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Toyota Hilux and another Toyota Land Cruiser.
This letter directed the payment of taxes and VAT to a different account identified as belonging to the customs service, with account number 1879675139 at Access Bank.
The conflicting account details reportedly sparked an internal query at the ICPC.
A handwritten internal note dated 7 August 2024 referred to an observation regarding bank details provided by the Customs Service.
The note stated that the NCS had been contacted and that an amended copy of the letter had subsequently been sent.
It also noted that an amended attribution letter on pages 11 and 12 of the file reflected what was described as the correct bank details of the Customs Service for the payment of VAT.
The documents, however, do not by themselves establish who controlled the disputed accounts or whether the discrepancies in the accounts were linked to the alleged identity impersonation.
The number of vehicles listed on the payment documents also raised questions about the transaction.
While the initial ₦20 million voucher covered three Toyota Hilux vehicles and two Toyota buses, the ₦8 million voucher covered one Hilux and one bus.
The subsequent fuel payment of ₦2.1 million, however, related to seven vehicles including four Hiluxes and three buses.
While the figures may reflect the different stages of the transaction, the documents presented in the report leave doubts about the relationship between the awards, purchases and subsequent payments.
The report does not establish whether the vehicles were physically delivered to the commission, their condition or whether an official investigation has conclusively established the circumstances surrounding the payments.
ICPC President, silent spokesperson
SaharaReporters said attempts to obtain comment from Aliyu were unsuccessful, as he reportedly did not return phone calls or respond to a text message sent to him.
Attempts to reach ICPC spokesperson John Okor Odey for clarification were also unsuccessful.
The reported incident raises questions about the Commission’s procurement and payment verification procedures, particularly the checks conducted before public funds are released for the purchase of government vehicles.
However, the available documents and accounts cited in the report do not, in themselves, demonstrate wrongdoing on the part of the ICPC chair or any other commission official.
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