Officials of Nigerian financial crime agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), are studying what an insider described as ‘curious payouts’ amounting to billions of naira in the office of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC).

The curious payments were authorized by the Director-General of the commission, Lanre Gbajabiamila, using some of his cronies.

Documents obtained by Pointblanknews.com revealed that the payments in multiple transactions within a day or accumulated transactions over a period of time amounted to billions. Of particular interest to the EFCC officials were the subheads under which the payments were made

Gbajabiamila, a brother of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, is said to be in full knowledge of the large-scale fraud, diversion of public funds and abuse of office.

The descriptions he used daily to make huge cash transfers to the accounts of persons suspected to be his lackeys within and outside the commission include travel expenses for oversight visits to the National Assembly, revenue drive, budget defence, inspection of premises, and capital budget monitoring.

Other curious transaction descriptions used as conduit to steal the commission’s cash are travel expenses for ‘financial records’, payment for annual budget expense and stationery, travelling expenses to ‘resolve PAYE issues’, update IPPS records, oversight working visits, visits to zonal offices, travelling expenses for lottery mapping, sight working visit, stakeholders committee meeting, adult inspection, and compliance survey.

The documents also revealed that on some occasions, in a single day, Gbajabiamila approved the transfer of between N1.5 million and N2.5 million to same individual, same bank more 25 times. For example, between the 22nd of March 2019 and 20th of December 2020, one Oviawe Edwin, T received N58.9 million in 25 instalments of between N2.3 million and N2.5 million, for travelling expenses and working visits. The account credited at Zenith has the number 2007637799 and at GT Bank, 0141566503.

Another recipient, Tunde Ezomon, (Guaranty Trust Bank with  account number 0215481839) received N37,355, N800 million in 16 instalments within same period for oversight visit to NASS, inspection of operators’ premises, travelling expenses to Jigawa State for lottery mapping, familiarization and sanitation tour, and what they tag compliance status.

The sum of N32. 023, N400 million, in 14 transactions, was paid to one Oluwatosin Osayinbola within same period as travel expenses, for financial record, budget monitoring and to ‘strengthen revenue collection and accounting by MDA’. The account used was at UBA 20617622828, GT Bank, 0022993017.

Other suspicious financial transactions include a curious payment of N19, 375, 900 , on 18th of December 2020, to one Kabir Abdullahi as payment for ‘computer consumables. He had received same amount on October 24, 2019. On 31st of December 2020, N41, 395, 349 was paid to Kadel Intra Global Services for what Gbajabiamila tagged ‘Automation of Assets management’. These payments were for non-existent jobs, an insider told our reporter.

Hassana Audu, another crony of the DG received N25, 734, 800  in 11 transactions for non-existent things like financial management and expenditure workshop, travelling expenses for members House Committee on Procurement, travelling expenses for revenue drive and trips to Enugu and Awka. The cash was deposited in her account at GTBank with number 0026079913.