The Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Ngozi Jonathan-Omo, Managing Director of Zeenel Concepts, for diverting one hundred and five million naira meant to train ex-agitators in Bayelsa State.
Jonathan-Omo was arraigned before Justice B O Quadri of the Federal High Court sitting in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State on Wednesday.
According to EFCC, the MD, in 2017, under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), was awarded a contract for the empowerment of one hundred (100) Niger Delta youths of Bayelsa State origin on various farming activities at a contract sum of Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N3,500,000.00) per delegate, bringing the total contract sum to Three Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N350,000,000.00).
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EFCC has alleged that Jonathan-Omo diverted the N105,000,000 meant for the empowerment of the youths to her account.
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The said contract which was awarded to her company ‘Achievers Farm Nigeria Limited’ was to provide the trainees/beneficiaries refresher courses and purchase plots of land, starter packs, and types of equipment for different farming activities.
The Anti-graft agency revealed said:
“After receiving payments of about One Hundred and Seventy-Five Million (N175,000,000.00), the project coordinator and representative of Achievers Farm Nigeria Limited, Mrs Ngozichi Jonathan-Omo, who is also a signatory to the company’s account, conducted only refresher courses for the ex-agitators/beneficiaries and abandoned the project.
“Investigation revealed that the defendant diverted the sum of One Hundred and Five Million Naira (N105, 000,000.00) into her company, Zeenel Concepts Limited’s account with a new generation bank, for personal use.”
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The EFCC said that her “offence is contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offence Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (13) of the same Act, Justice Quadri ordered that the defendant be remanded at Okaka Correctional Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State while the matter was adjourned to June 2, 2023, for hearing.”
