By Chijioke Agwu
Abakaliki
A primary school teacher in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Mrs. Angela Nwofoke, has been ordered to refund N1.4 million, which she allegedly defrauded the government for five years.
In addition to the refund order, Nwofoke has been suspended indefinitely and is to be prosecuted for the fraud.
Also, the School head, Mr. Gregory Nwajiaku, and 20 other teachers have been demoted by one grade level and transferred out of the school for allegedly conniving with Nwofoke to defraud the government.
Nwofoke was said to have absconded from her duty post for five years replacing herself with one Miss Theresa whom she pays N8,000 (eight thousand naira) monthly out of her salary to stand in for her.
Discovering the fraud when he paid visit to the school, recently, the state Chairman of Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), Chief Hyacinth Ikpor, said that the board discovered Nwofoke’s trick during
personnel audit conducted by the board, adding that she had abandoned her duty post since 2012 but resurfaced following the staff audit.
‘‘We have checked the total amount of money paid to you in all these five years of your abscondment and it came to one million, one hundred and twenty six thousand, seventy four naira, twenty nine kobo. This was your salary for the year 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
‘’So, we were paying you while you were not working for us and you have to refund that money. You are placed on indefinite suspension from Ebonyi State School system. Later on, you will be prosecuted by
law enforcement agencies’’, he told Nwofoke.
Addressing the school head and teachers Ikpor said “all of you, if you claim that you don’t know that someone else is answering Angela different from Theresa who has been representing her for five years now, then all of you are liars.
“So, based on that apart from those posted to this school, by September 2016 including the Head Teacher, as we transfer you we shall be demoted by one grade level lower’’. Ikpor reiterated the readiness of the board to sanitize the school systemand restore the lost glory in the education system.