By Okosun Dennis
The Chairman of Nigerian Legion (Lagos State chapter), is allegedly enmeshed in fraud and abuse of office, looting several millions of naira in the lead-up to his impeachment by the State Council.
DCG Wolimoh Olawale Akeem, according to the council, misappropriated various sums of money realized from the sale of emblems, security vote from the Lagos State government, and others.
His cronies from the Lagos State Ministry of Home Affairs also connived with him.
The 13 State Councils (Corps of Nigeria Commissionaires) representing 13 Local Government Areas led by Cols Adediran Bukola, Julius Olatunji, Alarape Wasiu Akinrole, Yekeen A. Akeem and Mary Dada among others in a petition dated 4th December, 2023 accused Olawale Wolimoh of “embezzlement, looting and gross misappropriation of Nigerian Legion Lagos State funds.”
He was also accused of duping the Council-Manager of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of N3,000,000 meant to procure arms for the legionnaires.
Investigation revealed that the Accountant of the Council was said to have paid N3,000,000 to DCG Wolimoh for the procurement and delivery of firearms.
It was learnt that the said amount was paid in August 2023, but he has failed to deliver on promise thereby denting the image of the Nigerian Legion.
Despite concerted efforts to get a refund by the council, the council has not been able to make DCG Wolimoh refund the amount.
In the said petition made available to our Correspondent by 13 State Council Executives titled “Allegation of Incessant Embezzlement, Loot, and Gross Misappropriation of Public Funds, Threat and Intimidation…against DCG Wolimoh Olawale Akeem,” the legion are demanding immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of Wolimoh for various infractions.
Consequent upon the call for an investigation into the financial misappropriation, the State Council on 11th December, 2023 passed a Vote of no Confidence and subsequently impeached him.
According to Col. Adediran Bukola (CNC), Eti Osa East LCDA, Akeem since assuming the state Chairmanship position has grown larger than life and unruly.
It was also alleged in the petition to the National Chairman, Nigeria Legion, Abuja, Major General Jibrin Abdulmaliki, that the DCG has “incessantly abused the office of the Legion Chairman, Lagos State Chapter for being prodigious, especially in spending N10,000,000 Armed Forces Remembrance Day 2022 Emblem Fund Raising.
It was also learnt that the Lagos State Government’s Security allocation to the Nigeria Legion (Lagos chapter) was diverted into DCG Wolimoh’s private pocket. The votes included the N1,000,000 monthly security vote and N2,500,000 quarterly vote, both unaccounted for.
In addition to the official account of the legion, Wolimoh, with his cohort, has two secret accounts into which he diverted such monies.
Some of his cohorts, the petitioners revealed, are Col. Muibi Mufutau (CNC)- Vice Chairman; Col. Saliu Akinbo (CNC)- State Treasurer and Col. Nasiru Salami (CNC)- State General Secretary.
5 MILLION SALUTE 2024 FUND RAISING
A strategic ploy employed by the DCG to further plunder Nigeria Legion (Lagos chapter) was the
“5 million Salute 2023 Fund Raising” which he used to wreck the Legion.
It was learnt that after using the late Mr. Olamide, a legionnaire, Wolimoh failed to pay him for his efforts. Because of the exploitation and frustration, Olamide, a physically challenged young man allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the Lagoon at the 3rd Mainland Bridge and the body was never recovered to date. His family has been traumatized since then.
To perfect his acts, the DCG recruited one of the legionnaires as his mistress and appointed her as his Personal Assistant (PA) at the State Headquarters, Arena, Bolade Oshodi.
To make the lady conform to his whims and caprices, he, it was disclosed, rented and furnished a two-bedroom flat for the lady identified as Miss Rofiat.
CALL FOR PROBE
The petitioners who have ensured that there is a transparent and detailed investigation of the DCG’s financial impropriety, also invited both the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), to urgently commence the investigation of financial impropriety against the Lagos State Nigeria Legion Chairman.
Besides, the matter has been dragged to the Zone 2 Command of the Nigerian Police, Onikan where he is presently answering questions based on allegedly forged Nigerian Army Discharge Certificate he was said to have used during screening before he emerged as the State Chairman, Nigerian Legion.
In addition to other demands, the petitioners called for an unconditional and unreserved freezing of all the bank accounts of the DCG Wolimoh, and all the accounts of Nigerian Legion, Lagos State chapter.
NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, MAJOR GENERAL ABDULMALIK JIBRIL SPEAKS
People and Power Magazine correspondent learnt from the National Chairman that efforts are underway to calm frayed nerves and institute an investigative panel to unravel all the allegations.
He disclosed that as soon as he was intimated through a petition and subsequent letter of Vote of no Confidence and impeachment on the 21st of December 2023, he acknowledged their letter and asked them to stay the action pending when the 11 count allegations are investigated.
“The investigation has not taken place because we are short of funds. Until we open the accounts of this year’s emblem sale, we would have funds to send people to Lagos to commence the investigation. We shall investigate the 11 count allegations and if found culpable, appropriate action shall be taken,” he said.
“We had suspended the Chairman before due to his actions bothering on recruitment of people into the corps of Legionnaires and Commissionaires because he violated some rules and regulations.
“He wanted to recruit people into the Legion assuring them that such persons would be recruited into the Nigerian Army, Airforce and Navy.
“For whatever reasons, they have no right to impeach him until investigations are concluded. Even though he is going to be removed, the laws should be followed,” he reiterated.
VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE AND IMPEACHMENT
On the 8th December 2023, members of the Nigerian Legion, (Lagos State chapter), rose from a meeting and impeached DCG Wolimoh Olawale Akeem by Part 1 Establishment of the Nigerian Legion Paragraph 6 TENURE OF OFFICE sub-paragraph 3 for he has conducted himself in such a manner as to be unfit to continue as a CHAIRMAN of this state council for obvious reasons.
He was said to have allegedly “been running the legion as a private company; no Accountability and Transparency; lack of or no respect for his superior and disobedience to the directive of the authority,” hence he was unanimously impeached.
SECRETARY, MR NASIRU SALAMI NARRATES HIS FRUSTRATION
When our Correspondent got through to the Secretary of the Nigerian Legion (Lagos State chapter) on the phone, Mr. Nasiru Salami revealed that DCG Wolimoh has been running the office as his personal property, noting that it is correct that he has been suspended.
Salami expressed his frustration and bitterness over the way he was treated and suspended from office without going through the normal process by DCG Wolimoh recently.
Responding to the fact that the Chairman has a fake discharge certificate which he presented to the screening Committees before the election, Salami explained that he saw DCG Wolimoh as “a very responsible man who has no skeleton in his cupboard until he was voted in and became larger than life, took the laws into his hands and became an untamed muster that wants to destroy anyone that stood his way.
“Akeem is worse than previous chairmen we have had at the Lagos State chapter. He collected N3,000,000 since August 2023 and refused to deliver on his promise to Ejigbo LCDA.
On the fake certificate, Salami agreed that he (Chairman) presented a certificate during screening but he wasn’t sure whether it was fake or not.
“I would have gone deeper if I knew he was dubious and had a skeleton in his cupboard. I never knew he had issues or was dubious until he was petitioned,” he said.
He regretted saying that all the abnormalities they wanted DCG Wolimoh to correct from past chairmen were left unattended, and Wolimoh further ruined the legion.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that DCG Wolimoh doesn’t have a retirement identity card, a legal document every retired soldier has. However, the Zone 2 Command, Onikan has taken charge of investigating the alleged fake discharge certificate.
It was gathered that the Zone 2 Command has asked him to produce it, and it’s only a matter of time before he disproves or accepts the allegations of fakery and maladministration against him.
Attempts made by our correspondent to speak with DCG Wolimoh Olawale Akeem proved abortive as he busied all calls made to him. Also, all the WhatsApp and text messages sent to him to respond to varying allegations of impropriety, maladministration, high-handedness, misappropriations and fraud were ignored.
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