The Kogi State Government has uncovered a N4.3 billion pension scam perpetrated between 2010 and 2015.
The Director-General on Media and Publicity to the governor, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this to journalists in Lokoja yesterday.
He said an audit report conducted by the government revealed that a syndicate was diverting pension and gratuity funds to private accounts using names of unintended beneficiaries to the detriment of pensioners in the state.
He said the fraud was perpetrated at both the state and local government pensions’ boards during the administrations of former Governors Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada.
Fanwo said this situation had been responsible for the inability of the present administration to meet its obligations in terms of prompt payment of pensions and gratuities.
The governor’s aide stated that those indicted would be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
“The present administration in the state is fighting corruption. To move forward, we must clean up our corrupt past and redeem whatever we can to instill discipline in the system and confidence in our people’s minds. We will never condone acts of corruption”, he said.
