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Jail bar and cuffs

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested one Hajiya Fati Mazangari, as part of the ongoing investigation into the pension scam worth billions of naira in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation

Mazangari, who is based in Kaduna and parades herself as a business woman who deals on oil and gas, is the head of a syndicate that scouts for account numbers from people of various background.

A source told THISDAY that "the numbers are communicated to officials of the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation Pension who credit the accounts monthly with pension remittances.

"The money is then withdrawn by the account holders and handed over to Mazangari who has allegedly used some of the proceeds to build a plaza named after her."

THISDAY gathered that over N1billion has been paid into these accounts with some of the money as recent as July, 2012 despite well publicised investigations into the scam in the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

"One of the account holders, a youth corps member, had seven accounts and was receiving pension monthly," the source added. Mazangari is allegedly assisted in the scam by her sons, one of whom is an IT Consultant already on the run while the other is a captain in the Nigeria Army who uses his influence to threaten the account holders to remit the funds to his mother.

EFCC's spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, when contacted confirmed the recent arrest of the socialite.

He, however, disclosed that she has been released on conditional bail. Uwujaren warned members of the public against giving their account numbers to people without reason. Such action, he added, may cause them to be named as accomplices in the prosecution of such fraud. Necessary measures have since been taken to prevent her from fleeing the country, THISDAY learnt.