A former employee of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Aliu Ismail
Oguche, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (
EFCC) and accused the agency’s Director of Administration, Ismaila
Yusuf, of embezzling and diverting of public funds, tax evasion, money
laundering, non-declaration of assets and deliberate falsehood.
In the petition obtained by Ripples Nigeria and dated October 16, Oguche
also accused Yusuf of owning a hotel and a bakery in Abuja, which he
said is against the NIA service guidelines
The petitioner further accused the NIA director of operating an Illegal
Bureau de Change from the hotel located in the Wuse II area of Abuja.
He also accused the NIA official of falsely declaring that he is from
the Sayawa tribal group in Bauchi State when actually he is from Igala
in Kogi State.
On Yusuf’s undeclared assets, Oguche said the NIA owns and operates a
hotel located in Wuse II, Abuja named “Gold-plate Suites (RC 1085461).”
“He is the chairman of the hotel alongside his three children – Kabiru
Ismaila Yusuf, Habiba Ismaila Yusuf and Yusuf Abba – acting as
directors,” the petitioner said.
According to him, the funds siphoned from the NIA are exchanged at
Yusuf’s illegal Bureau de Change.
The petition read: “Contrary to the law establishing hotel or bakery
businesses, there is no signpost for the either of the two businesses,
ostensibly to evade taxation payable to the Federal Inland Revenue
Service and other levies payable to government.
“It may equally, have been intended to avoid paying the five percent VAT
being charged on customers’ bills.
“The secrecy surrounding the operations of the hotel are both suspicious
and smacks of other clandestine activities, possibly cultism.”
Oguche claimed that his findings are open secret to the staff of NIA,
adding that the Director-General of the NIA, Amb. A.R Abubakar,
personally visited the hotel in March this year.
He also alleged that Yasuf has another hotel in Lagos and lives in a
palatial house in Wuse II, Abuja, “which is far beyond his legitimate
earnings.”
Oguche urged the EFCC “to investigate and determine whether as a civil
servant, Yusuf, is permitted to run these types of businesses and
whether it is permissible for him to serve as a signatory to the
accounts of any other businesses outside the NIA, where he is the
director of administration?
He added: “To determine whether Ismaila Yusuf has declared these
properties in his assets declaration form at the Code of Conducts Bureau
as required by law and whether he acquired these properties
legitimately. The agency should also determine whether such properties
are within his means as a public servant on fixed salary and emoluments.
“To determine if appropriate taxes are being paid to the appropriate
authorities on these businesses and if he has paid ‘Pay As You Earn’
taxes from these extra earrings.
“To also determine if operating the hotel and the attendant deals with
the NIA in accommodating its staff as guests do to amount to a conflict
of interest with his duties as an officer of the agency.
“To probe into the background of the said Ismaila Yusuf to determine if
he is actually Basayi from Bauchi or Igala from Kogi; and to look into
any other issues surrounding his enrolment into the NIA and the
attendant acquisition and ownership of these multi-billion naira
properties.”
The petitioner pledged to make himself available to the EFCC during the
investigation into the matter.