ICPC freezes SURE-P directors’ accounts, seizes vehicles

 



SURE-P was set up by the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan in February 2012 after nationwide protests followed the hike in the prices of petroleum products.

The programme was scrapped by President Muhammadu Buhari in November last year.


The SURE-P was mandated to convert saved fuel subsidy money to jobs, roads and other people-oriented programmes but became political during the build-up to the 2015 elections.

A source in the ICPC told our correspondent on Wednesday that the probe started after the commission received information that huge funds were embezzled by the officials.

The source added, “We have frozen the bank accounts of some of the officials while we have started seizing some vehicles from them. Our plan is to seize about 200. Presently, we have seized about 30.”

Our correspondent, who visited the ICPC on Wednesday, counted about 34 vehicles parked on the premises of the commission.

Some of the vehicles included Sport Utility Vehicles, Hilux vans, salon cars and ambulances.

Our correspondent learnt that the probe was in connection with a N3bn fraud allegedly involving the Federal Ministry of Finance and the SURE-P Graduate Internship Scheme.

The money, it was learnt, was meant for the payment of the participants.

It was gathered that the money was meant to pay the allowances of 17,500 participants for eight months, which never got to them.

Eniola Akinkuotu