Delta Deputy Speaker, Osanebi In ‘Cover Up’ Scandal Over Alleged Fresh N757million Fraud Involving Him

Mr. Friday Osanebi

Fresh petition linked the embattled Deputy Speaker of Delta state House of Assembly, Mr Friday Osanebi to a major fraud running into several millions of naira.

The fraud scandal which has engulfed Osanebi since it was revealed by his kinsmen have sent him panicking as top detectives of Nigerian anti-graft commission, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC are set to investigate the matter.

Osanebi, BigPen Online gathered have been named to be involved in many fraudulent oil deals in his home community of Ndokwa, Delta state.

This came as it was disclosed that Osanebi may be facing possible criminal charges as effort to cover up the matter appears to have failed severally.

The flamboyant lawmaker, it was gathered have been jostled over the petition of which he had reportedly reached out to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to use his contacts in the EFCC to cover up.

The lawmaker who is said to be the youngest in the State House of Assembly is being accused of allegedly swindling communities in his constituency of a whopping sum of N757 million.

He also has other petition of fraud running into millions of naira hanging on his neck before the recent scandal emanating from the Cluster of OB3 Pipeline Project and Landlords of the Right-Of-Way Communities in Ndokwa East which got him running around for settlement.

Advertisement

Osanebi, it was gathered allegedly received oil largesse running into millions of naira as well as contracts on behalf of the communities but pocket same to the detriment of the locals to whom the monies were given out.

He allegedly collects royalties accruing to oil bearing communities of Ndokwa East Local Government Area under Cluster OB3 Pipeline Project worth over N757 million without remitting same back to the locals.

A top Detective in the Nigerian EFCC and ICPC, (Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission) says a petition indicting Osanebi of the alleged fraud is currently being investigated.

Besides, the petition, he is also accused of using his position and office to defraud oil producing communities area of multi million naira contracts and appropriate such to himself and few of his cronies.

The petition obtained by BigPen Online is entitled: “Report Of Large Scale Fraud, Illegal And Criminal Appropriation Of The Sum Of N757, 000, 000, 00 Being Benefits And Entitlements Belonging To Members Of The Ndokwa East Local Government Area Of Delta State Cluster Of OB3 Pipeline Project By Hon Friday Ossai Osanebi, Deputy Speaker, Delta State House Of Assembly And Engr. Noel Ejidike Of Nest Oil PLC.”

One of our correspondents, report that since the embattled deputy speaker got wind of the petition, he has been using instruments of state and political thugs to harass, maim, arrest and intimidate some community leaders from the area to ‘forcefully’ withdraw the petition.

Advertisement

Ejidike of Nest Oil PLC, his alleged accomplice was said to be on the run over the development.

The petitioners alleged among other things that the deputy speaker and Ejidike defrauded them in the contract to supply labour, buses, boats, ditching and foods running into several hundreds of millions of naira.

“Since the month of August, 2014 when the project commenced, the duo of Friday Ossai Osanebi and Engr. Noel Ejidike have been receiving all the entitlements and benefits due the communities”, the petition read.

The petition which was copied the Director of the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board in Bayelsa State, the petitioners passionately appealed to EFCC and ICPC operatives to immediately arrest the lawmaker and his accomplice, Ejidike for questioning and probe their sources of income.

The five pages petition which was signed by C. Oshilim, Esq, on behalf of Josiah Agbanashi, chairman, and A. C. Okwuedei, secretary and the Ndokwa East Local Government Area Cluster of OB3 Pipeline Project, said the deputy speaker had since 2014 till date used his company, Augoe and Sons to defraud the oil bearing communities to the tune of N757 million.

The embattled deputy speaker through his Augoe and sons Nig. Ltd, without any recommendation form the oil communities fraudulently manipulated his way with the help of Mr. Ejidike and displaced the communities who were in line to carry out and secured a bush clearing contract from Nest Oil Ltd but surprisedly Augoe and Sons company fraudulently bypassed the communities to collect from Nest Oil the sum N15 million without proves of executing the job.

Advertisement

The petition read, “The contracts have been in operation since August, 2014 to April, 2017.” saying that by reason of all the stated details of corrupt enrichment and illegal appropriation of contracts and entitlements by Mr. Osanebi and his partner, Mr. Ejikide, the communities have suffered unquantifiable loss, deprivation and marginalization.

“Upon the conclusion and the commissioning of the pipeline project, the next major activity is the surveillance and maintenance of the gas pipeline. As it is now the practice in the entire Niger Delta area, the right of way communities are expected to be involved in the surveillance and maintenance of the pipeline. In this regard, our clients went into alliance with other cluster members in other local governments of Rivers, Delta and Edo states for the purpose of recommending a trusted, experienced and reliable professional.

“No sooner had our clients done this, Hon Friday Ossai Osanebi began to scheme his way into snatching this job from the person recommended by the entire cluster communities of the OB3 pipeline project. This fraud by the aforementioned persons cannot be allowed to continue. Determined to achieve his corrupt aim, Osanebi made several attempts to bribe some of our clients who rejected his offers and stood firmly against him.”

Alleging further, the petition adds, “Having failed in this attempt, Osanebi has gone ahead seeking to constitute a rival cluster with the aim of having his way. Our clients wish to state that this hobbesian attitude by Hon. Firday Ossai Osanebi and co-conspirator Engr. Noel Ejidike against our clients cannot be allowed to continue in the face of the current anti corruption fight of the President Muhammad Buhari led federal government.

“While recognizing the statutory role of your agency in combating this monster of corruption and bearing in mind the successes recorded by your agency in this regard, our clients are by this petition pleading with your sir, to cause the aforementioned persons to be apprehended, investigated and made to account for the aforesaid sum of money with a view to compelling them to refund same to our client as members of the right of way communities and accordance with the local content policy of the federal government.”

This is not the first time Osanebi, the ‘money chopper’ as our source would described him would come under attacks from his kinsmen.

Advertisement

BigPen Online recalled that sometime in November, 2015, thousands of Ndokwa youths from the Delta North Senatorial District also staged a protest against him and accused him alongside his ‘political godfather’, Chief Godswill Obielum, of defrauding the youths in the area of the sum of N1.4 billion.

Osanebi could not be reach for comment as at the time of publishing this report.

[Widget_Twitter id=”1″]