…how I was instructed to divert funds to unknown account – Miss MCWary
…how Dokubo threatened to kill me
…how I got kidnapped on Dokubo’s order
…how my NGO was impersonated to defraud unsuspecting companies
…how police DIG harassed me to sleep with him
…Dokubo spends N1.6 billion on 400 wooden canoes
Miss Tracy MCWary, Founder/CEO Tracy MCWary Foundation (TMF) – organizers of Miss Amnesty Nigeria, has accused embattled Amnesty Nigeria boss, Prof Charles Dokubo, of multimillion naira scam.
TMF is a non-governmental organization in Nigeria that advocates and cater for women, the vulnerable and the less privileged in the society.
Narrating her ordeal in an exclusive interview with Igbere TV, Miss MCWary said her struggle started in the year 2016 when she tried getting the attention of the Presidential Amnesty Office on the need to empower women in the Niger Delta region.
According to her, she began her first programme with the then Special Adviser (SA) to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh (Rtd.), who is currently facing trial for allegedly diverting N974 million.
“Paul Boroh asked me to come up with an empowerment initiative for the [Niger Delta] people of which I chose Miss Amnesty Nigeria beauty pageant with his approval”, she said.
Unfortunately for her, Mr Boroh got sacked halfway into the programme, over alleged abuse of office.
After the sack of Boroh few weeks to the 2018 Miss Amnesty, MCWary said she met with the new SA and Coordinator of the Amnesty Scheme, Prof Charles Dokubo, for briefing.
“I told him how far we have gone with the project and how the then SA pledged the support of the Amnesty Office. Already we had spent a whole lot of money on publicity, but Dokubo told me he doesn’t have any money that I should go ahead with the programme when he has money, he will reimburse us. He even promised to attend the event.
“With his assurance, we went ahead with the programme, borrowed funds and executed the 2018 Miss Amnesty Nigeria precisely in April at the Sheraton, Abuja.
“I went back to Prof Dokubo this year in April to remind him of his promise. He asked what I wanted from him, I told him that I needed his approval for the 2019 edition which he actually did and directed me to the Integration Department.
“On getting there, I met Chief Brown who then redirected me to the head of job placement (Margaret Humfrey) for us to collaborate and host the 2019 edition in conjunction with the Presidential Amnesty Office.
“When I met Margaret, she told me that the money the SA approved was too small that I wouldn’t get any fraction once released. She even reminded me of how I hosted the last edition without any support, the debts accrued and on the need to also make some money for myself.
“She then suggested that I increase the budget so we could have enough money for the pageant, extra cash to settle the debts I was owing and some more for myself.
“I went back, worked on something and came up with ‘Amnesty Culinary Talent Competition’ and equally increased the budget as suggested. Everything went on smoothly as planned, we even signed the necessary documents for the execution of the project including an affidavit which I swore to set up restaurants for eight Niger Delta women.
“But I never knew the whole process was a scam until it was time for payment of the money approved for the project. I was approached by madam Margaret who gave me a document(MoU) to sign transferring my project to an unknown company, saying that I cannot proceed to execute the project. I protested and demanded to know why, she said I wasn’t of the Niger Delta region. But I told her I am from Abia State where we also produce oil and I have been to Niger Delta severally executing empowerment projects. I stood my ground so they had no other choice but to pay some money into my NGO’s account.
“I later received a call asking me to come to a particular office for a meeting with an unnamed presidential aide. I went, not knowing that the office is a ‘kidnapping zone’. On my way there, Clinton(my staff) called me that Margaret came to my house with five soldiers in an unmarked van to kidnap me…that they even forced the gate open and ransacked my entire house. I called Margaret asking to know the motive behind the sudden move she said she thought I was running away with government money. I told her that the money is for the people, and I cannot run away with it. I called her boss (Charles Dokubo) to report her to him, only for me to discover that he was even the one giving the instructions asking me to divert funds meant for the project to a private account. He also gave the order for my house to be ransacked and for the project’s money to be seized from me.
“My NGO has a good name, we have a reputation to protect. There is no way we could possibly make away with government money, neither can we transfer such money to an unknown company. ‘What if they don’t execute the project?’ I complained bitterly to Prof Dokubo and he invited me over to his house which I honoured. Getting there, Dokubo threatened to kill me if I don’t transfer the money to his account. I was given a GTB account to immediately transfer the cash, his Chief Security Officer (CSO) slapped me, threatening to write a report against me if I don’t obey his boss’s orders. I was humiliated in Dokubo’s house. My brother and the driver I came with were denied entrance, my phone was seized from me.
“The Amnesty boss threatened to kill me and ‘heaven will not fall, after all I am in his house’. I was about to transfer the funds but had a second thought that my NGO has a core mandate to empower the Niger Delta women and also has a reputation to protect.
“I was allowed to leave but the same account details was sent to me on Monday to transfer the funds. When they saw I was adamant, they sent some policemen to kidnap me. When they came, I called CP Bala Ciroma telling him some men were in my house to kidnap me. These people barged into my house, came straight into my bedroom where I was half-naked breastfeeding my baby. They took me away, my security man and neighbours witnessed everything. We made several calls to some people who helped me and I was able to escape from the kidnappers’ house.
“But days later, they went to higher arm (Force DIG) to forcefully take me and extort money from me, accusing me of defrauding the Amnesty Office. I told them, I am not a scammer, I have been empowering women, I have a lot of children on my scholarship scheme. I run Miss Amnesty Nigeria, a transparent NGO and my forms are free. How possibly can I defraud government? Nothing is stopping me from executing the project I was given funds for.
“…Only for me to see them on AIT executing my project the following morning using the very blueprint and master plan I developed — just the same week I was to organize mine. I was shocked, the project was hurriedly carried out by them without my consent. They impersonated my NGO and managed to get support from MTN, Glo, Airtel, Coca Cola, Unilever, Dangote Group. These companies even went on Facebook writing they partnered with my organization which is not true.
“The Force DIG (Michael Ogbuzi) went ahead and started harassing me, he is even from the same village with me. He came to me and started harassing me, asking me to sleep with him if I want Amnesty boss (Charles Dokubo) to leave me alone. I politely declined the offer, telling him I am a responsible woman and cannot do it. He detained me for 24 hours, denying my five-month old daughter of breast milk. Her nanny told me she cried all through the night. Force DIG detained me because I refused to sleep with him, I was released the next day on bail. They went ahead and freeze my NGO account. The money there was meant for women empowerment and I could no longer access it.
“As it stands now, I have been running for my life, hiding from the unknown. Prof. Charles Dokubo is threatening me, Force DIG is threatening me. I went to Force Headquarters, Abuja to see the inspector general of police to report the DIG but he (DIG) sent his men to forcefully eject and harass me out.
“I am at lost as to why Prof. Dokubo will be blackmailing me, tarnishing my image, impersonating my NGO.
“I am calling on the EFCC, the ICPC and President Muhammadu Buhari to come to my rescue and to also be aware of the atrocities being committed daily in the Presidential Amnesty Office. Prof Dokubo has no single intention of empowering any Niger Delta person while in office.
“I don’t know why they are stopping me from empowering the Niger Delta women. I want to know why they disallowed me from carrying out my Amnesty Culinary Competition. The one they did was a fake one, I did not give them permission to execute that. The organization is ready and still with the money to execute this project which we will surely do. We have a core mandate and also took an oath to empower eight Niger Delta women and we must set up standard restaurants for them after the project. I just want the right thing to be done.
“I am calling on Abba Kyari (Buhari’s Chief of Staff) to call Prof Charles Dokubo to order. He should tell him to stop threatening my life. Why is he after me, why is he after an NGO? Why is he fighting my organization? Why is the Force DIG stooping so low to harass me using his boys?.
“I am calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to be aware of the atrocities being penetrated in the Presidential Amnesty Office. If Nigerians are aware, this thing will not continue. Abia is an oil producing state, as well as Imo. If you say both states are not of the Niger Delta region then stop taking the oil. Let Prof Dokubo tell me why he is stopping my NGO from empowering the Niger Delta women, including the Igbos who have been totally left out in the Amnesty scheme”, added MCwary.
High-level corruption and looting of funds not new in the Amnesty Office
Prof Charles Dokubo, born in Abonnema, Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State with his level of education has allegedly turned the Amnesty Program which he heads into a personal company as information on our news desk revealed that about 11 months ago, Dokubo in his usual style of syphoning money using the award of contracts from the Amnesty Program awarded a jaw-dropping amount of N1.6 billion for the purchase of 400 wooden canoes to empower 400 Niger Delta women in coastal fishing.
According to a document exclusively obtained by Igbere TV, the contract was awarded on the 29th of November, 2018 in the sum of N4 million per canoe to a Delta State-based company Innotek Royal Service Limited chaired by Evangelist Samson Fetimi (JP) who surprisingly was also the CEO of Glassfa Intercontinental Limited, a company which also acted as a vendor to the Amnesty Program back in 2016 when Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh (Rtd) was in charge.
Sources within the Amnesty Office are suggesting that the company may have been used as a front to fleece money from the Commission account.
This comes as no surprise as in another letter obtained by Igbere TV dated 8 January, 2019 the infamous company, in turn, requested for a 15 per cent mobilization payment of the award sum amounting to N240 million.
Interestingly, on Tuesday September 24, 2019 during the distribution of the said items to the 400 rural women to be empowered, only 100 canoes were presented with a clear cloud of doubt lingering over the purchase of such wooden items at N4 million per each.
Investigation by Igbere TV revealed that a wooden canoe is sold between N200,000 to N230,000 in the market.
With the level of looting and corruption perpetrated by Prof Dokubo using the Presidential Amnesty office unparalleled, there are calls from many Nigerians for the various anti-graft agencies to quickly swing into action and bring him to book.
