The Abia State Government has arraigned three individuals in the Federal High Court, Umuahia, over allegations of pension fund theft.
The accused—Onyekachi Success Nwabueze, Miriam Azubuike, and Victor Chisom Samuel—faced a six-count charge under case number FHC/UM/CR/199/24.
The charges, brought by the Abia State government, were filed under Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act 2005, Section 100 of the Pension Reform Act 2014, and sections 6 & 12 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024.
The charge sheet, dated October 11, 2024, was signed by Senior State Counsel C. N. Iheji on behalf of the Attorney General of Abia State.
According to the charges, between January and October 2024, the three suspects and others still at large allegedly conspired to defraud the Abia State government of pension funds intended for legitimate pensioners.
The alleged fraud, involving more than 50 million naira, includes specific names and bank account numbers used to distribute the funds.
Meanwhile, some opposition members in the state have called for due process, emphasizing that those arrested for the alleged fraud should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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