ICPC Chairman Orders Arrest Of Suspected Fake Customs Officials Over Vehicle Deal
Ayomide Awe
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, has reportedly ordered the arrest of individuals accused of posing as officials of the Nigeria Customs Service to sell seized vehicles to the anti-corruption agency.
The alleged fraud came to light after the suspects reportedly approached Aliyu at his residence, claiming they had vehicles seized by the Customs Service available for sale, according to a report by SaharaReporters.
Sources cited in the report said the ICPC chairman subsequently arranged for the commission to pay for the vehicles, only for the purported sellers to be identified as impostors.
The suspects were reportedly arrested on the chairman’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 totalling ₦31.6m in August 2024 for vehicle purchases, value-added tax and related expenses.
The payments comprised ₦20m to the Nigeria Customs Service, ₦1.5m to the Federal Inland Revenue Service as VAT, ₦8m to an individual identified as Muhammed Ibrahim for vehicle purchases, and another ₦2.1m to the same individual for fuelling vehicles said to have been auctioned to the commission.
The documents also raised questions about the bank account details supplied for the transaction and discrepancies in the number of vehicles listed in different payment records.
A payment voucher dated August 15, 2024, showed that ₦20m was paid to the “Nigerian Custom Service” for the purchase of three Toyota Hilux vehicles and two Toyota buses.
Another voucher, dated the same day, recorded a ₦1.5m payment to the FIRS as 7.5 per cent VAT on the vehicle purchase.
A separate voucher showed that ₦8m was paid to Muhammed Ibrahim for one Toyota Hilux and one Toyota bus.
On August 22, 2024, the commission processed an additional ₦2.1m payment to Ibrahim for the fuelling 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 Officer Controlling Expenditure, and signed by Williams Cletus, while Sunday Ibrahim was listed as the paying officer.
The documents reportedly showed that the commission raised concerns about discrepancies in the bank account details provided in correspondence purportedly originating from the Customs Service.
A letter attributed to the NCS Department of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, addressed to the ICPC chairman, reportedly confirmed the allocation of four Hilux vehicles and three buses to the commission.
According to the letter, three Hilux vehicles 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 authorised and licensed Customs auctioneer.
It directed that payment for the three Hilux vehicles and two buses be made into an account bearing the name of the Nigeria Customs Service, with account number 3000008059.
