SaharaReporters had reported that Echono denied without evidence allegations of corruption said to be ravaging some quarters of TETFund.
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has been detained by Nigeriaās anti-corruption agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), over alleged N7.6 billion project fraud.
The detention follows a petition alleging the award of contracts totaling N3.8 billion to Fides Et Ratio Academy and Pole Global Marketing (PGM) for capacity-building courses and learning management systems.
Echono denied the allegations, emphasizing his commitment to sanitizing the education sector and tackling corruption. Similarly, the CEO of Fides Et Ratio Academy, Paul Chukwuma, refuted the claims, stating that their agreement with TETFund was for a skill training program.
ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, confirmed Echono’s detention, stating that he was invited for questioning on Thursday and remains in custody as investigations continue. However, Echono claimed he was in his office and had not been invited by the ICPC, contradicting Bakare’s statement. He also mentioned that one of TETFund’s directors was briefly detained by the ICPC but has since been released.