Date: 2020-06-20

The Ilorin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it had interrogated Mr Salihu Toyin, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, over alleged N31m salary fraud.

The anti-corruption agency said this in a statement signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr Dele Oyewale, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Ilorin, Kwara State on Friday.

Also interrogated in connection to the alleged fraud were the Permanent Secretary, State Universal Basic Education Board, Bayo Audu Onimago, Director of Finance, SUBEB, Ahmed Husain, Controller of Finance, SUBEB, Omole John, and the state coordinator of NUT, Tijani Idris.

The EFCC alleged that the suspects shared among themselves N31m meant for the payment of salary of over 400 teachers working with the state SUBEB.

Oyewale said the state chairman of NUT allegedly confessed to have paid N12m into an account being operated by him and his accomplices.

According to him, the money was actually not supposed to be deposited in the account, but he withdrew it and gave it to SUBEB officials, and they gave him N3m to share among themselves.

"He also received another credit alert of N19m, withdrew N4m from it, and used N1.5m for clearing and paving their quarters with interlocking stones, while the remaining N2.5m is still with him," he said.

EFCC spokesman said the NUT Chairman could not, however, provide receipt of transaction for the "so-called" clearing and paving of the quarters with interlocking stones.

He said the commission would arraign the suspects at the conclusion of its investigation.

The commission had on June 11, 2020 announced its discovery of about 1,000 ghost workers, allegedly smuggled into the payroll of the state SUBEB.