$350,000 fraud: Ogun gov suspends Rufai, condemns unlawful acts
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state, yesterday, suspended one of his political aides, Mr. Abidemi Rufai, who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, over $350,000 employment fraud during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.
Mr. Kunle Somorin, said Rufai was suspended to enable him answer the charged leveled against him.
Rufai is accused of filing 102 jobless claims in Washington which are part of the $646 million the state lost to unemployment fraud in 2020.
Between March and October 2020, Rufai allegedly submitted dozens of unemployment claims using stolen identities, trying to get ESD to pay out more than $350,000 in benefits, according to the court documents.
He used that single Gmail account to file 102 claims for ESD benefits, according to investigators.
Rufai also used the account to file for benefits in 10 other states.
Between March 3 and August 2, 2020, investigators ay Rufai received $288,825 into a Citibank checking account, $236,701 of which was transferred out over the same period. Funds were also paid out to online payment accounts, which were then mailed to Rufai’s brother’s address.
Reacting to the arrest, Somorin said, “While the governor cannot be held responsible for the actions of an adult, especially outside the jurisdiction of Ogun state and Nigeria, he has since suspended the suspect from office to enable him to answer the charges levelled against him.
“The governor wishes to condemn any act capable of undermining his determination to institute an open, transparent, accountable and morally upright behaviour in the State and governance”.
