ICPC Freezes SURE-P Directors accounts over new N3b Fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has begun a probe into the activities of directors and senior officials of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).

It was learnt that the ICPC had frozen the accounts of some of the officials while some vehicles had also been seized from them.

SURE-P was set up by the government of Goodluck Jonathan in February 2012 after the nationwide protests that followed the hike in the prices of petroleum products.

The programme was scrapped by President Muhammadu Buhari last year due to corruption.

The SURE-P was mandated to convert saved fuel subsidy money to jobs, roads and other people-oriented programmes but became political during the build-up to the 2015 elections.

A source in the ICPC said that the probe started after the commission received information that huge funds were embezzled by the officials.

The source added, “We have frozen the bank accounts of some of the officials while we have started seizing some vehicles from them. Our plan is to seize about 200. Presently, we have seized about 30.”

About 34 of such seized vehicles are parked on the premises of the commission.

Some of the vehicles included Sport Utility Vehicles, Hilux vans, salon cars, etc.

The probe was in connection with a N3bn fraud allegedly involving the Federal Ministry of Finance and the SURE-P Graduate Internship Scheme.

The money, it was learnt, was meant for the payment of the participants.

It was gathered that the money was meant to pay the allowances of 17,500 participants for eight months, which never got to them. The cash was looted.