FCT civil servants battle IPPIS, syndicate, over unpaid salaries 

No fewer than 60 civil servants, including nurses, other medical personnel in hospitals and those in education sector in the service of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), are currently battling with the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and suspected syndicating scammers over millions of Naira February Salaries that have not been paid to them as at the middle of March.

Investigations show that operatives of the IPPIS diverted the workers salaries to a group of suspected scammers, in the name of loans taken by the concerned workers from one man, David Chukwuma, using no fewer than 15 mushroom Micro Financial Institutions as accomplices.

It was gathered that the IPPIS, which was not party to the terms of the loan from David Chukwuma and his syndicating scammers, came from no where to empty the salaries of the workers, who were beneficiaries of the loans, to the syndicating group and individuals.

It was gathered that the syndicate is made up about 15 mushroom

Banks, including Loan Book, Credit Direct, Essential Finance MF, Accello Micro Fnances, Letshego MF, Zedvance MFB, Teago Global, Liquid Crest, Link MFB, Penny Lender MFB and a company called Hi-Breed Consultant Services Limited.

The syndicating scammers were said to have given out various forms of loans to the workers based on private arrangements that had nothing to do with the IPPIS.

It was learnt that the IPPIS, without consulting with the workers, who are the loan beneficiaries, decided to be giving the salaries of the concerned workers to the syndicate, for the syndicating scammers to be paying the workers after deducting the agreed amount to service the loans.

However, luck ran out of the IPPIS and the syndicate when workers could not access their entire February salaries, in breech of agreement to deduct the amount for servicing the loan and paying them the balance.

It was gathered that the concerned workers, last Monday, gathered at the Hi-Breed Consultant Services Limited to know what went wrong, but were told that David Chukwuma, who has been the principal actor in the scam was not part of them in Hi-Breed Consultant.

It was learnt that efforts by the frightened civil servants to get David Chukwuma on his mobile phone failed because he switched off the line.

A lawyer, who claimed to be representing Hi-Breed Consultant, Barrister Monday Ehimare Jeffrey, begged the aggrieved civil servants to give him time to fish out David Chukwuma with a view to resolve the matter.

However, as March is getting to an end and they have not heard from Barrister Ehimare Jeffrey, and not sure of the fate of their March salaries, the frightened civil servants have engaged an independent lawyer to confront the IPPIS on the propriety of handing over their entire salaries to a third-party like the syndicate, without any written agreement from them.

The lawyer, Barrister Charles Audu is currently looking at the matter and promised to soon file the case in an Abuja Court against IPPIS.

Barrister Ehimare Jeffrey have refused to respond to our reporter's request to know his role in the whole scamming processes even as David Chukwuma switched his line.

Also, efforts to get the position of the IPPIS proved unsuccessful as the new Director is yet to settle down to know what actually happened before he took over.