Crimes

Court convicts ex-College Provost over N285m fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a conviction against the former Provost of Isaac Jasper College of Education, Sagbama in Bayelsa State, Prof. Saviour Nathan Agoro, over N285 million fraud.

Agoro was arraigned at the Bayelsa State High Court alongside the former accountant of the institution, Perez Lakemfa, who were both charged under section 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 for having interest in and coffering corrupt advantage on themselves and relations as a result of contracts that were awarded by the College.

One of the charges read: “That you, Professor Saviour Nathan Agoro (M), on or about the 28th day of November, 2014, in Sagbama, while being a Public Officer to wit: the Provost and Chief Executive of Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama, knowingly acquired direct private interest in a contract otherwise than as a member of a registered joint stock company consisting of more than twenty (20) persons when he awarded a contract for the Furnishing of One Storey Lecturers’ Offices to Neatmosa Integrated Services Limited, a company in which he is a Director for the sum of N47,115,915.00 under the 2013 and 2014 merged Tetfund Normal Intervention program, and which emanated from Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama, where he is the Provost and Chief Executive Officer.”

In the 12-count charge against the defendants, the presiding judge, Justice D.E Adekeme, found Agoro guilty on count one, five to 12 while the second defendant, Lakemfa was found guilty on count two to four of the charges.

Justice Adekeme thereafter pronounced non-custodian sentences on the two defendants based on the charges.

Professor Agoro was given a fine option of N1 million while Lakemfa was given an option of fine of N100,000.

The ICPC’s prosecutors, Peace Arocha and Dr Agada Akogu, had told the court during trial that the Commission, in May 2017, received a petition alleging that Agoro personalised TETFund funds by awarding contracts to his company and companies owned by his relatives between 2012 and 2014 with flagrant abuse of due process and public procurement rules.

The ICPC said its officers, in the course of investigation, discovered that the contract for the construction of language laboratory and music studio was awarded to Nancydor Ekperi & Sons Co. Limited, owned by a friend of the former Provost and ex-accountant, Lakemfa.

It stated that other contracts for constructions and supplies were also found to have been awarded to companies owned by family members of the defendants.

The Star