Crime
FRAUD: Staff threatens to ground activities in LUTH over wrong narrative in Pay Slip
FRAUD: Staff threatens to ground activities in LUTH over wrong narrative in Pay Slip
By: James Bwala
TROUBLE brewing at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH as staff are threatening to shut down the hospital in protest over what they described as fraudulent deductions in their monthly pay by Professor Chris Bode led management in the name of ‘Hospital Bills’ as narrated in their pay slips.
It could be recalled that, Staff of LUTH had last month alleged fraud in the hospital pointing at the Chief Medical Director, Professor Chris Bode as partaking in the ongoing duplicitous in collaboration with some staff of the Accountant General office, where money said to have been paid wrongly to staff accounts were being deducted and instead of the amount to go back to its original source, the money is being diverted into LUTH accounts and subsequently being retrieved from the account through dubious means for self-help.
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A staff of the institution informed NEWSng that the CMD and some of his cronies in the hospital are now securing the money to themselves through unnecessary purchases. “LUTH has started spending the money. The CMD just bought Toyota Hilux at the sum of 40 million naira without budget for it. He is spending money on Hilux that will be piloting him to his home town in Ejigbo, Osun state on a weekly basis at the expense of the hospital fund.
“We are majorly concerned before we the union members ground the hospital activities. We are appealing to the higher authority to direct LUTH to pay the money back to the IPPIS TSA Account so that ASUU will have access to more funds in order for students to resume back to their schools.” He said.
According to LUTH staff, they would have understood if the management told them that they are reconciling the figures and thereafter, will transfer it to the consolidated revenue account. “But the CMD will not do that because he is always in the habit of grandstanding and he likes money laundry a lot.”
The staff said they were paid double salary in December 2014 and IPPIS deducted the money from the source directly in January and February 2015 salary. “Our problem is that, why is the management doing this? Why pay it into a LUTH account? We want all the funds to be paid back to the IPPIS TSA account, not the LUTH TSA account. The money presently in the LUTH account should be refunded back to the IPPIS account.
“They are now using the narratives “Hospital Bills” in the pay slip and going back to withdraw money from the LUTH account. If that money is in the IPPIS TSA account, they cannot remove it for whatever reason. We know what is happening in the hospital that is why we want the anti-graft agencies to also come in.
“If they are saying “Hospital Bills” the question I want to ask is that am I a patient in the ward? Or, do I have a patient on the ward? Why LUTH hospital bill instead of fund wrongly paid into my account and deducted” The staff asked.
NEWSng however, spoke with some of the top management including the Board Chairman and member at LUTH, who described claims by staff as unfortunate, adding that they were however not privy to what is happening at LUTH concerning recent agitations by staff.
Speaking to LUTH PRO Ms Lola Fakeye told NEWSng on phone that they have not received complaints either verbally or in writing suggesting any shortchange or what the staff are claiming to have been happening with their payment advice letter.
“All I know is that there was no official complaint to the management regarding this. However, I know that there was a circular to that effect.” She said,
Speaking to Director of Administration, Mr. Babajide Grillo; his advice is that staff should write to the management to express their concerns as according to him he has not received a complaint over the deduction, which suggests any action the staff might want to take against the narration in their pay slip.
“They should see the Head of Finance and account to discuss such an issue, I think it is better. I spoke with the Head of Finance about this and he told me they can approach him for further explanation if they are not satisfied with the narration and the soaring point of argument which is about the ‘Hospital bill’ as claimed. They should also write to me”. He added.
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Also speaking, a member of the board at LUTH told NEWSng that he was only hearing reports filtering about three days ago. According to him, the Board was at LUTH about ten days ago for promotion interviews but nobody approached them to complain about happenings in the hospital.
While reacting, Chairman of the Board Alhaji Isa Bello Sali told NEWSng that these are issues relating to the management of the hospital. Adding that as Board their roles are policy making and supervisory. He however noted that he was hearing the complaints for the first time.
“I advise that if there are such issues, the staff can write to us through the management and indeed state their worries. If you have not called I probably would not have heard that there are issues at LUTH. “The Chairman said.
Speaking to staff complainants, they told NEWSng that it is not natural as it seems to approach the management to air their complaint for fear of witch-hunt, but that when they decided to go on strike over these issues they will do that through their union.
“We feel secure to approach the media. They can victimize us if we write to them especially under the Chris Bode administration. All these people you have talked to know that it is not possible to approach the management or write to them as individuals but we will meet with our union and we will see how to approach the management as the Chairman said.”
FRAUD: Staff threatens to ground activities in LUTH over wrong narrative in Pay Slip
NIDCOM Gets 17 Trafficked Girls Rescued, 5 Traffickers Arrested in Ghana
By: Michael Mike
Seventeen young Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana have been rescued and repatriated back to the country while five traffickers were equally arrested.
This latest rescue operation brought to 130 girls repatriated back to Nigeria from Ghana alone since July 2024.
According to a statement signed on Sunday by the Director, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM). Abdur-Rahman Balogun, this was sequel to the combined and coordinated efforts of the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police, Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Ghana, and the Nigerian High Commission in Accra.
Speaking on this latest efforts, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO NiDCOM, expressed her gratitude to Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her support in facilitating the safe return of the young girls back to the country.
She also commended the vital roles played by the BOT Chairman of NIDO Ghana, Chief Callistus Elozieuwa,, and the Ghanaian Anti-Human Trafficking Police Unit in bringing the traffickers to justice.
She reiterated NiDCOM’s commitment to protecting Nigerians in the diaspora under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which gave priority to combating human trafficking and safeguarding the rights of Nigerian citizens at home and in the Diaspora.
Balogun, in the statement, stated that the rescued young girls, ages 18 to 29 years, come from various states, including Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Imo, Edo, and Ebonyi.
He said they were lured to Ghana under false promises of employment but were instead forced into exploitative situations and bound by an oath of secrecy.
Dabiri-Erewa expressed her determination to the rescue of those still trafficked in conjuction with various stakeholders, noting that many more trafficked Nigerians are still awaiting rescue.
Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Mr. Williams Ayaregah praised NiDCOM’s efforts under Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa’s leadership.
He said: “More than ever, traffickers must realise that Ghana is no longer a safe haven.”
The operation, conducted in Kpone Katamanso, Tema, resulted in one of the largest single- operation arrests, with five traffickers apprehended.
Mr. Akinboye Akinsola, representing NiDCOM, played a critical role in escorting the rescued women back to Nigeria, where they were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for rehabilitation and reintegration.
Chief Callistus Elozieuwa added that two young men were also repatriated, including one who was previously detained in Ghanaian prison.
With NIDO Ghana’s assistance, the young man underwent rehabilitation and has now returned to his home state, Anambra, for family reintegration.
This cross-national effort underscores NiDCOM’s dedication to eradicating human trafficking and highlights the importance of international collaboration to protect Nigerians abroad.
NIDCOM Gets 17 Trafficked Girls Rescued, 5 Traffickers Arrested in Ghana
NDLEA intercepts US, Europe-bound drugs in shoe soles, N16.7 billion opioids at seaports
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and three courier companies in the state consignments of opioids concealed in soles of shoes and hair attachments heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Cyprus.
The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said a total of 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes going to Cyprus were seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on 12th October 2024 and additional 380 tablets were recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Uchenna during a follow up operation in Enugu last Thursday. He added that a cash of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN 389 AS, were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest.
Babafemi said not less than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection as well as 1.69 kilogrammes cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes going to the United States, United Kingdom and Oman were intercepted at three courier firms by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, in Lagos last Thursday.
He said in the same vein, a total of 26,250,000 pills of tramadol as well as 508,400 bottles of codeine based syrup worth about N16.7 billion in street value were intercepted by NDLEA operatives during 100 percent joint examination of watch-listed containers with men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Tincan port in Lagos and Port Harcourt port, Onne, Rivers state both last Tuesday and Wednesday.
Babafemi said other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers include 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700 kilogrammes at Tincan and Onne ports respectively, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28 kilogrammes were also recovered from a container that arrived the Lagos port from Canada.
He said a suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested at Ago Palace area of Okota Lagos in connection with the cannabis seizure while a bribe of N10 million paid NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as part of the exhibits for the prosecution of the case.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos last Friday raided the Igbo – Igunuko shrine, located at the Alfa Beach, Ajah, where jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,760 kilogrammes were recovered and two suspects: Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun arrested. Another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin was also arrested same day with 770 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
He said a total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, rohypnol and diazepam as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from the underground storage, a suspect, Muhammad Abdullahi dug in his bedroom at Marwa Coastal road, Lekki Phase 1 Lagos when NDLEA officers raided his home last Friday. He noted that the suspect dug the illicit drug storage deep in his room, covered it with padlocked iron slate, a rug and then put his mattress on top to avoid detection.
In Plateau state, a suspect Fadan Bindom, 39, was arrested at Pilgani village in possession of 65.85 kilogrammes cannabis and 18 grammes of tramadol, while another suspect Sunday Agbata, 42, was nabbed at Pavwei – Rayfield Jos South local government area with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam and pentazocine injection last Wednesday.
The spokesman said a major distributor of illicit drugs in FCT Abuja, Umar Muhammed, 40, was last Monday nabbed following the earlier seizure of a consignment of 198.5 kilogrammes cannabis linked to him at Wuse market park.
In Edo state, NDLEA operatives recovered 640 kilogrammes cannabis concealed in 80 jumbo bags of fresh vegetables at Ewu junction, Irrua, Esan Central local government area and arrested a suspect, Austin Oruamen, 27, while another suspect Adereti Kazeem, 35, was nabbed with 200 blocks of cannabis weighing 133 kilogrammes at Obalayan, Ile-Ife, Osun state last Thursday.
He noted that with the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of MMIA, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, FCT, Osun, Plateau and Edo commands of the agency as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures, stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
NDLEA intercepts US, Europe-bound drugs in shoe soles, N16.7 billion opioids at seaports
Bobrisky Arrested by NIS at Seme Border
By: Michael Mike
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has apprehended Idris Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky while trying to cross the border into Republic of Benin.
The Service in a statement on Monday signed by its Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Udo said: “In keeping with its commitment to securing the borders, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) intercepted Okuneye Idris Olarenwaju otherwise known as Bobrisky at the Seme Border over an attempt to Exit the Country.”
Udo added that: “The Service wishes to inform the public that Okuneye Idris is a person of interest over recent issues of public concern.
“He is undergoing interrogation and will be handed over to the appropriate Authorities for further action.
“The Service assures the public that it will continue to be civil and professional in its statutory responsibility of manning the Country’s Borders.”
Bobrisky Arrested by NIS at Seme Border
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