N5.2bn Rural electrification Agency scam: 18 firms used same address -Witness

TRIAL of accused in the N5.2 billion alleged Rural Electrification Agency (REA) scam continued on Wednesday, with a principal witness disclosing that the 18 companies that got the said contract had same official address and their contract letters signed by one Miss Uduak.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Mr Samuel Ibi Gekpe and six other senior officials of the agency before an Abuja High Court, over the alleged scam.

Mr Ibrahim Ahmed, an assistant superintendent of police attached to the commission, who testified on Wednesday, also revealed how politicians hijacked the list of contractors originally pre-qualified by the public procurement committee of the agency and substituted it with their companies.

The other accused were Dr Abdullahi Aliyu; Simon Kirdi Nanle; Mr Lawrence Kayode Orekoya; Abdul-samad Garba Jahun and Mr Kayode Oyedeji.

Justice Adebunkola Banjoko was told that investigation into the alleged fraud revealed a lot of abuses in procurement processes, which culminated in the award of contracts to only 18 companies in the pre-qualified list out of 113 companies that eventually benefited from the grid extension contract.

It was further disclosed that none of the pre-qualified companies benefited from the solar-based system contracts which were finally awarded to 45 companies belonging to some officials of the agency and members of the National Assembly.

“When we asked Gekpe and Oyedeji why this was so, they told us that some of the contractors were recommended from the National Assembly and that a list was given to them from the Ministry of Power,” Ahmed said.