Contract Racketeering Syndicates: How Delta State Government Officials Operated A Private Company, Received Contract Worth Millions of Naira In Violation of CCBT Act

Secret Reporters

An investigation by SecretsReporters has uncovered a syndicate of Delta state government officials involved in contract racketeering in the state.

Recall that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, disclosed that Nigerian taxpayers lost N2.9 trillion (est) in just two years (2018 -2020) to contracts and procurement fraud alone.

SecretsReporters discovered that three officials of the Delta state government operated and managed a company, which they used to receive a contract worth the sum of ₦99,975,000.00, violating the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.

Through the Ministry of Energy, the contract for the provision of 182 units of new 100-watt all-in-one solar-powered street lights in Ogbeinma town, Bomadi local government area, was awarded to Nebulus Anchor Ltd on the 7th of June 2021. The contract status is active.

Findings revealed that Nebulus Anchor Ltd was registered in Asaba, Nigeria, with registration number 718210, on 14 November 2007, and its current status is still unknown.

The company is run and managed by five key management personnel: Patrick Banks Bofede, Otto Aghoghophia, Frank Chukwuemeka, Frank Nwaebo, and Ochuko Mejire.

Findings show that Frank Nwaebo is a Senior Electrical Engineer with the Delta State Ministry of Energy, Ochuko Mejire is a Director of Human Resources with the Delta state government, and Otto Aghoghophia was made clerk of the Delta State House of Assembly in 2023 after previously serving as the deputy clerk of the house.

To avoid doubt, the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act prevents civil/public servants employed fully by the government from engaging or participating in the management or running of any private business, profession, or trade. Still, this paragraph shall allow a public officer to engage in farming or participate in the administration or running of any farm.