WHEN we shout to high heavens of how corruption is steadily wrecking havoc to our national development, when we talk of corrupt practices bedeviling the civil service, when we trumpet a bloody revolution to clear the already heaped mess and suggest death sentence for corrupt practice, town criers, the insane and jesters wonder why the noise on corruption or why the envy of those looters that look more of rampaging chimpanzees than humans with protruding bellies?
Sycophants and the criminally-minded frown and sponsor to challenge our outcries and in some cases, we receive threats of arrest from compromised security agents, attack by hoodlums or elimination to the great beyond by hired assassins. Whichever way the criminals prefer, let them be told in the language they best understand that we drive pleasure in exposing and challenging the thieves that are retarding the progress of our beloved country and we have no fixed date of stopping the challenges and exposure until we are either posted to our ancestors as threatened or the situation changes for better, and 2023 is the ideal time for the change and a revisit to cases of looting, stealing, diversion and other criminal acts now temporarily buried in a shallow grave.
Let’s look at one typical case of madness perfected by one Yusufu Maina Bukar, supposedly an educated man who serves as the managing director of National Agency for Greater Green Wall (NAGGW) that criminally squandered over N81.2billion of public funds on claimed purchase of trees within his one year stint on the seat. Those trees are yet to be located anywhere on planet earth. If there is any where any of the claimed trees can be located, I stand to be called a liar!
Another case is that of a dismissed federal civil servant who was blessed with gummy fingers and versed in corruption strategy to refresh memory. It was in 2017, that I published a report on an Abuja Federal High Court sitting in Apo, presided over by Justice Mu’awiyah Idris, on December 6, 2017 ordered that a thieving civil servant, Ibrahim Musa Tumsah should forfeit 86 luxury vehicles, 23 of which were armored and described by detectives as brand new, four houses and a quarry plant located in Abuja, eight containers with household items to the Federal Government from part of what he stole through corrupt practices as the Director of Finance/Account in the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.
Tumsah must have stolen monies budgeted to improve our roads, power supply and decent affordable houses for the people. The glutton was a proud and pompous thief! He co-opted theft of public funds into his way of life. The criminal was exposed, monies and properties retrieved and thrown to shame and disappointment for the good of Nigeria. He is not alone in the thieving trade. There are several others in the various federal ministries, departments, agencies and the national assembly including the presidency waiting for exposure, retrieval and prosecution.
The Federal Ministries of Education, Environment, Niger Delta Affairs, Aviation and its subsidiaries are cesspits of corruption where normal service is turned to easy money making venture. Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is another corruption breeding public office. NNPC and its subsidiaries are competing for number one position on the corruption index just National Agency for Greater Green Wall (NAGGW) has now joined.
The judge in the case of Tumsah made the order following an ex parte application filed on November 23, 2017 by the Special Investigation Panel constituted by the Buhari led anti-corruption government to recover public property on behalf of the government criminally acquired. Ministry for Niger Delta Affairs waits for such a presidential investigation panel to open a can of worms cleverly buried.
Whoever carved the name ‘evil servant’ to replace civil servant must had Ibrahim Musa Tumsah, AbdulHameed Aliyu, Yusufu Maina Bukar, AbdulRasheed Maina and other positioned high profile crooks as public servants in mind when he was crafting it. Avalanche of facts in pictorial and documented evidences exclusively gotten from discreet investigation revealed that all of the years, Tumsah served Nigeria he was only serving to deprive Nigerians the benefit of their wealth for his personal comfort.
Tumsah, who was earning less than N500,000.00 as monthly salary had properties splashed all over Abuja, Kaduna and Yobe where he hails from, using his name, that of his brother, his children and wives as cover to the malfeasance. He made corruption a flourishing family business.
From investigation, some of the properties corruptly acquired by Tumsah include; a quarry plant located at Kuje, Abuja, two apartments located at No.27 Cairo crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja and at No. 34 Euphrates street, Wuse 2, Abuja, twin duplexes located at No.5, Sirasso Crescent, Wuse Zone 7, Abuja and two houses located at FCDA quarters, No.4, Alexandra street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
Part of his loot was a leather manufacturing factory located at No. 22, I.T Igbani street, Jabi, Abuja, an eggs crate manufacturing company at Kakuri-Makera, Kaduna, a large farm located along Biu-Damaturu road (Gujba) in Yobe state and a gigantic mansion at Degel-Gobarau road, Kaduna where he resided with his family feeding and swimming in corruption with pride.
Further investigation revealed that Tumsah used two companies; Rain Integrated Services Insurance Brokers Limited (RC: 1284097) and Rain Integrated Bureau De Change Limited (RC: 1106983) registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with his idling junior brother, Tijjani Tumsah as front to evade any possible exposure and subsequent arrest and prosecution by the anti-corruption agencies.
In one of the documents, it was discovered that some directors named on Forms CAC 7 of the ‘dubious’ companies were fictitious and do not even exist anywhere in this planet earth but probably in the “household planet” of Ibrahim Musa Tumsah where corruption thrives.
Another funny side of the scam was that Form CAC 7 of Rain Integrated Bureau De Change Limited was neither dated nor filed. It was fraudulently smuggled into the file of CAC as a mere cover perfected by one Barrister Patrick Lucas Uzum with Nigeria Bar Association Accreditation Number NBA/IND/14840 in active connivance with some corrupt staffers of the Commission.
Some of the 86 cars listed with their chassis numbers and colors include; Wrangler Jeep (black), Audi ASL (ash). Toyota Hilux (white), Taurus Ford (red), Mercedez Benz S550 (red), Mercedez Benz GL 550 (black0, Toyota Land Cruiser V6 (black), Toyota Prado Jeep (white), Jaguar (ash), another Toyota Hilux (white), Toyota Highlander, and another Mercedez Benz S550 (black).
Also on the schedule for seizure were two Golf GTI cars (both black), Hyundai Veloster (red), Wrangler (red), Chevrolet (ash), Mercedez Vaneo (ash), Infinity FX50 (ash), Mercedez E550 (silver), Honda 28/29, Jaguar XF (silver), Sahara Jeep (grey), BMW 7 Series (dark ash), Toyota Avalon (dark ash), Mercedez CLK 550 (ash), Cayenna Porche (black), Toyota Camry 2009 (sky blue), Jeep SRT Chirokee (silver), BMW GT550 (white) and BMW R8 2 series (black).
Others on the list were; Hyundai Velager (red), Camry 2013/14 (white), Mercedez C300 (black), Ford Taurus (golden), Lincoln Niks (dark ash), Equus 2013 (dark ash), Toyota Sequodia (black), Audi A7 3.OT (black), Toyota Prado (black), another Mercedez Benz C550 (black), KIA 900 (black), Avalon 2014 (dark ash), Fiat 500 (silver), Acura RNX 2013, Lexus 15 3500, another Ford Taurus (maroon), Caridac XT54 (red), Fiat Turbo, Ford Excursion; Honda V6 Tourine, Audi Q 736, Ford BW, Lexus LS430 and Infinity QX705.
Ibrahim Musa Tumsah also criminally possessed Maserati, Ford Super Duty, Toyota RAV4, Ford, 4×4 Super Duty, Land Rover VIE 1155, Land Rover VIE 1265, Ford Taurus Limited, Ford SHD, Audi 55, Roya Turbo and 20 other luxury cars.
Should Nigerians be proud to have such thieves in government that deprive the judicious use of their common wealth to improving their wellbeing within available resources? Where is Ibrahim Musa Tumsah today?
Most Nigerians sincerely wish he could have been posted to dine and wine with his ancestors wherever they may be. The case of Ibrahim Musa Tumsah is just one among several other corruption cases in Nigeria that continue to derail our progress. Recently, I paid a visit to a local government headquarter in Plateau state to assess performance of those in council. To my uttermost shock and disbelief, I witnessed some women drawing water from stagnated pond along the road. I was curious and wondered what was wrong. Where goes the monthly Federation Allocation of the local government that failed to provide a common borehole for the sprawling community? Is a call for revolution then not timely? We have to face the reality and sanitize the system peacefully or violently.
Look at the case of Niger Delta Amnesty Programme and how the ministry in-charge butchered what was budgeted for the good of the devastated region, and one of those responsible for such a mess had the guts and audacity to seek public trust to occupy the office of a governor in his Gombe state of origin. Likely enough, he was chased out by delegates that saved the state from falling into the hands of a hardened crook, professional liar and deceiver that has no equal.
Unfortunately for Nigeria, a new breed in corruption strategy has recently surfaced at the choked scene with an ‘impressive’ stealing of over N81billion under the guise of purchasing 21million trees to fight desertification and other environmental challenges. The man leading the agency into the league of corruption infested government establishments deserves a space in the Guinness Book of World Records for purchasing 21million trees at N81.2billion that cannot be located anywhere even in his imagination. Should that man be allowed to complete his tenure in that agency?
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues.
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