The dust raised by the recent fraud allegation by an online newspaper (not Business and Transport.com) in which it was claimed that a total of N1.5trillion and $9million were traced to personal bank accounts of the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh has been cleared.

The publisher of the online medium, Jackson Ude, based in the United State, had in a report last Friday alleged that United Kingdom investigators allegedly burst a Fidelity Bank account no: 4020949836 linked to the NIMASA DG, where various sums including N1.5trillion and another $9,557,312.50 were found. He had also erroneously reported that Talent Expertise, whose representative is the legitimate owner of the money was founded by the NIMASA-boss.

But in a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of Talent Expertise, John Philip, firm noted that the DG NIMASA whatsoever has no link with the company, which he also disclosed, operates from Dubai, the United Arab Emirate UAE and Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

The company, which is a training organisation, also said it has no form of relationship with NIMASA either as client, contractor or any business relationship, expressing shock and disappointment caused by the identity mix up.

The statement reads in part: “I wish to confirm that Talent Expertise International operating out of Dubai, UAE and Abuja, Nigeria has no connection with Dr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, Director General of NIMASA.

It was however gathered that Ude, the publisher of the online medium as was indicated by a WhatsApp chat on an MTN phone line was discussing with one Hamza Ibrahim Jamo, a representative of Talent International, who is a retired member of staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC, who is quite different and distinct from the NIMASA DG as his surname does not have the letter ‘H’. This is an indication that the writer of the report had a mistaken identity.

Available official records also show that the Fidelity Bank account number: 4020949836 with BVN 22151837650 and GSM phone number 08034517410 linked to the account truly belong to Hamza Ibrahim Jamo, who is a representative of Talent Enterprise, having retired from the NNPC.

Investigation further showed that while Ude was chatting with Hamza Ibrahim Jamo, he erroneously thought he was chatting with the DG NIMASA, who also goes by the name Jamoh.

Hamza Ibrahim Jamo, who later spoke with newsmen on phone said: “Mr Jackson Ude, who publishes the online news medium is a serial blackmailer. I retired from the NNPC after 35 years of service and all my gratuity and other benefits were paid into that Fidelity Bank account where Ude alleged had N1.5trillion”.

He insisted that he never had such a huge amount in his account, wondering why any rational individual would leave such an amount of money in the bank at this current period of development in the country. It was also gathered that the account in question had since been closed, as many fraudsters made repeated efforts to clone or hack the account, which would have hurt everyone.

He told journalists during the telephone interview from his Kaduna base that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC once invited him between August and September 2019 when it was discovered that there were plans by some criminals to hack into the account.

According to him, the anti-graft agency arrested of some the suspected fraudsters in Lagos, Benin and Bauchi in connection with the fraudulent acts which forced him to close the account some time last year.