The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions
Employees (NUBIFIE), has petitioned the Inspector General of Police
(IGP), Ibrahim Idris, seeking the arrest and prosecution of two of its
former National executive members, over alleged frauds running into N30
million.
In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday and signed by the Acting
General Secretary of NUBIFIE, Comrade Odiaka Jude Nwanji, the union said
the former official who were suspended have been found to have
allegedly “diverted N2.94million gift given to the union by Zenith Bank,
about N36m National Delegates Conference levy funds which was approved
by NAC for the purpose of the conference in 2015; N5m diverted and
stolen through a WEMA account and over N23m diverted and stolen through a
Skye Bank account, operating secret and unapproved accounts.”
The union also denied reports of the arrest of its President.
According to the statement, “The person purported to have been
arrested was arrested in connection to false affidavits deposed to
before a honourable court in a conspired effort to get an injunction to
stop the IG Police amongst others from prosecuting him and his
collaborators over allegations of fraud which they have perpetrated in
NUBIFIE before and after they were duly suspended from office, and this,
involves two suspended national officers amongst others.”
However, Comrade Nwanji emphasized in the statement that NUBUFIE is
an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and not the newly
launched United Labour Congress (ULC)
He said: “It is a known fact with the Registrar of Unions, the
general membership of the union and the written constitution of NUBIFIE
that NUBIFIE is an affiliate of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and at no
time was the constitution amended to reflect anything contrary.
“Therefore, the mention of NUBIFIE as an affiliate ULC as publicized
amounts to poaching and criminal subversion of a trade union. To this
end, the National Administrative Council (NAC) has forwarded a petition
to the IG Police to urgently prosecute the culprits.”
He also regretted the threat made by the ULC to breach industrial
peace and cause unprecedented industrial crisis, adding, “to this end,
we call on the Police, the SSS, the Military and other security agencies
not only to be alert but to arrest and prosecute those behind the
statement as this is not only a threat to the lives of NUBIFIE officials
and members, but also a threat to the nation, especially at these times
of security challenges.”
