N6bn Scam: ‘Rogue’ Bayelsa Workers In Anti-Graft Net

Another batch of 12 ‘rogue civil servants’ in Bayelsa State have been arrested by the anti-fraud agents from the State Police Command for an alleged role in the bloated salary bill of over six billion.

The arrest of the suspects were effected last Friday, and brought to a total of 25 senior civil servants so far indicted in the scandalous high wage bill of the state.

13 of them earlier arrested had been charged to court and bail granted to them.

Hon. Seriake Dickson on assumption of duties as the new governor of the state was alarmed over the hugh salary bill, and therefore constituted a committee to investigate the scenerio, as according to him, apart from Lagos, Bayelsa had the highest wage bill, yet, it is the smallest state in the country.

Those civil servants, already standing trial before a Federal High Court, sitting in Yenagoa on a two-count charge of stealing and conspiracy over the matter were suspended via a letter signed by the state Head of Service (HOS), Mrs. Gloria Izonfuo.

The arrested workers, mainly from the Ministry of Education and treasury department,  were accused of paddling the state payroll with fictitious names and under-aged individuals, thus, making the government to expend close to N6billion monthly on the payment of workers’ salary.

Further investigation by the verification committee indicated that 12 senior civil servants from the Ministry of Education were allegedly involved in the scam, a development, which culminated in their arrest last Friday.

The document which was signed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Frazer Okuoru, disclosed that the civil servants were indicted by the verification committee, arrested by the police and are to face prosecution.

Dated May 23, the document showed that the accused persons had been indicted and that the prohibitive order took effect from May 8, adding that “they are to notify the acting chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board of their intention to leave their station,” and they were barred from leaving the country without the approval of the Head of Service.

It was gathered that efforts made by the affected civil servants to lobby the state governor, Hon Henry Seriake Dickson to stave off their prosecution failed as he insisted that they must face the full wrath of the law.

Some civil servants who suspected that their names might be in the list of those indicted had started shunning their seats in their respective ministries and parastatals as government’s intention was to carry out the exercise in all ministries and statutory boards.