Tension is gradually brewing in the cooperative society of Radio Nigeria Abuja operations as some members of the society who were not happy with the level of frauds in the Co-Thrift have vowed to go to any length to recover their stolen money and also expose those that stole the money and their collaborators. The organization's co-thrift has been enmeshed in a lot of frauds and controversies before and after the election that brought in the present executives being led by Comrade Abdulrasheed Abdulkareem, he was elected in a controversial election which many members and observers believed was tele-guided by some high level senior and management staff of the Corporation who were also involved in some of the frauds rocking the Co-Thrift.

According to our source the election into the office of the present executives was tele-guided by some Senior and Management staff who were involved in the fraud that was perpetuated by some members of the past executives. Four members of the past executives namely Yakubu Mohammed, Danjuma Akuki, Aminu Aikoye and Joel Ikani were said to be owing the thrift a sum of almost Eleven million naira being loans they took and refused to pay back while in office. The four members of the executives with the help of Aminu Aikoye who was the financial secretary then,were said to have used some fake names including names of some members of staff who are not members to steal money from the co-thrift. This our source said was different from the issue of the land that the former executives bought at an outrageous amount without the knowledge and consent of their members. The land located somewhere at the outskirt of Abuja was bought at Eighteen million naira, our source said there was no way that the land could have been sold to the executives at that outrageous amount of money because it is a land that is far away in the bush and no development or social amenities will get to the place in the next one hundred years, moreover it was bought without the knowledge and consent of the then chairman Alhaji Olanrewaju Adegboyega and members of the Co-Thrift. We were also told that there was no receipt or bank teller to show that there was any transaction carried out in the buying of the said land.

Many members who are being owed have pulled out of the thrift with many joining that of their headquarters and a lot of them are yet to be paid their money since 2012 of their withdrawal from the Co-Thrift. "Most of our members including those who started the co-thrift have pulled out to join that of the headquarters because of the fraud perpetrated by the last executives who were busy stealing our money to build houses and buy cars for themselves and girlfriends. They deceived us, cheated and used us to pay back some money during the time we were given loans by GTB, they refused to call for meetings or organize election, not until we were pushed to the wall and had to force them to handover to a caretaker committe after running the co-thrift like a one man show. An election was conducted quite alright but we later got to know that it was tele-guided by some fraudulent senior and management staff who have hands in the frauds bedeviling the co-thrift. Whether they like it or not Insha Allah we will bring all of them to book and recover our stolen money. The juju that they have been using that made us to be zombies for thirteen years that they ruled us to steal our money has failed."

We learnt that efforts are being made to bring back some top influential people who can help fight the cause and probably take the case to the Zonal Director and the Director General of the corporation. "We are already making efforts to bring back some of our members who out of frustration left the thrift, to come back and join us to fight this cause, we intend to write to our ZD and DG to look into the matter. Akuki, Yakubu, Aikoye ,Joel and all others involved in the stealing of our money must be brought to justice and made to refund our stolen money, even if it means taking the case to the EFCC we are ready to do that. Imagine them telling us that they bought a parcel of land for Eighteen Million Naira, whereas the land was sold to them for just Six Hundred Thousand Naira, we have our facts in our hands, we are only waiting for them to call a congress meeting. The said land we learnt belong to the Nigerian Army. How much is our salary that some people on levels 12, 13, 14,15, 16 and 17 will be stealing from us? Thank God we are now in a government that has zero tolerance for stealing and corruption, if it means taking our case to the honourable minister of information so be it. Enough is enough our mumu don do"

Our source told us that some of the people involved in the fraud have promised to pay back and asked to be given a soft landing in other for the matter not to get out of hands. Some we learnt are already looking for buyers to buy some of the properties they fraudulently and crookedly acquired through the sweat of their members.

Presently all is not well between the chairman and the financial secretary, our source told us that trouble started when Akuki who used to be secretary in the last executives and now the financial secretary insisted to be one of the signatories to their account, a suggestion that did not go down well with the chairman. We learnt that Abdulrasheed was called to order by one of the management staff when Danjuma Akuki reported him to his head of department whom we learnt was among those that ensured that he won the election. The said head of department we learnt categorically told his staff in the co-thrift who to votes and threatened to sanction them should Abdulrasheed or Akuki lose the election. When reported, the said head of department told Abdulrasheed that "if not for our votes and support, do you think you would have defeated Maryam in the election?" He now ordered Abdulrasheed to apologize to Akuki. The chairman our source said was bitter about this and has vowed to expose all the frauds perpetrated by Akuki and his group. We learnt that he has been telling people that care to listen that what does the financial secretary want again in the co-thrift after being the Secretary General for about Thirteen years.

The four major culprits in the fraud saga namely Yakubu Mohammed((former treasurer) Danjuma Akukli (former secretary and present financial secretary) Aminu Aikoye((former financial secretary) and Joel Ikani(former auditor) are now said to be running round to pay back the money "stolen" from their members before official action is taken against them by the present executives. Yakubu we learnt has paid back more than a million of his own share of the looted money, while Akuki, Aikoye and Joel are said to be looking for buyers of some of their houses built with the "stolen" money.


Abdulrasheed Abdulkareem was brought into office by some senior and management staff to cover the tracks of the past executives and also to be used to steal more money from the co-operative society. With most members now waking up from their slumber and powerful radical group emerging in the co-thrift how they intend to cover up all their shady deals remained to be seen.

A management staff of the corporation who spoke to crime busters on the condition of anonymity, told our reporter that the management was aware of all that was going on in their co-thrift but the management cannot and will not act until the case is officially brought to their notice. All efforts to speak with the Public Relations Officer and the secretary of the thrift Messer King Franki and Israel Daniel proved abortive as they were always evasive of our appointment with them.

How this drama ends and how many heads will roll at the end of it all, only time will tell.


From the Radio House Abuja, this is Eagle eyes reporting for CRIME BUSTERS.