EXCLUSIVE: Pension Fraud, TETFUND Diversion, and Tax Embezzlement Rock Delta State Polytechnic Otefe-Oghara as Rector and Top Officials Accused of Looting Over ₦1 Billion

.... It’s the handwork of disgruntled staff, claims rectorSecrets Reporters Top management officials of the Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, including the Rector, Registrar, Bursar, and key Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) Desk Officers, have been accused of orchestrating a massive fraud involving the diversion of staff pension contributions, TETFUND scholarship and conference funds, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax deductions, National Housing Fund (NHF), and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) deductions, with losses running into over one billion naira. PAYE is a system of tax deduction in Nigeria where income tax is withheld directly from an employee’s salary or wages by the employer (in this case, the Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara) before the net pay is given to the staff. Documents exclusively obtained by SecretsReporters revealed that a detailed whistleblower petition was delivered to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) office in Asaba on January 20, 2026, via DHL Express. The petition, dated January 19, 2026, directly names Rector Prof. Emmanuel Ufuophu-Biri, Registrar Mr. Efedi Chukwuemeke, Bursar Mr. Omokaro Sunday, Internal Auditor Mr. Kelvin Okotete, TETFUND Desk Officer Dr. Ferdinand Okoro, immediate past TETFUND Desk Officer Dr. Nana Joseph, and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) Chapter Chairman Dr. Henry Obeh as key actors in the alleged scheme. The whistleblower, who described the situation as causing “bitter pains” for over 600 permanent staff, alleged that since Prof. Ufuophu-Biri assumed office on March 27, 2023, no pension deductions have been remitted to staff accounts with PAL Pension, Stanbic, Leadway, and other administrators. Delta State Government pays full salaries, including the pension component, yet the polytechnic’s Pension Unit, headed by Mr. Adam Erifeta, has allegedly failed to forward the funds. Staff attempting to access 25% of their contributions in late 2025 were reportedly told their accounts had not been updated for over two years and nine months. One staff member reportedly has only ₦4.7 million in their pension account instead of the expected ₦15–16 million after 11 years of consistent deductions. The petition further claims that PAYE tax deductions from staff salaries, as reflected on payslips, have been embezzled without any remittance to the state revenue office, making it impossible for affected workers to obtain tax clearance certificates. On the TETFUND front, the petition alleges systematic diversion of funds meant for staff training, conferences, and scholarships. The official TETFUND Zenith Bank account (1010930680) is said to have witnessed unauthorised withdrawals. When TETFUND directed institutions to refund unaccessed funds within 30 days, the polytechnic allegedly paid only 40% of scholarship entitlements to 25 beneficiaries, including Engr. Christian Akeni, Mr. Anslem Agbini, Mr. Nyore Mowarin, Mr. Osiobe Ovie, Mr. Precious Agofure, and 20 others—using internally generated revenue and borrowed funds to avoid exposure. The remaining 60% is alleged to have been siphoned. The whistleblower accused the ASUP Chairman, Dr. Henry Obeh, of being compromised. After threatening to petition the EFCC and ICPC over the pension and TETFUND fraud, he was allegedly silenced with a sponsored TETFUND conference trip to the Netherlands in July 2025 (funded through IGR because the dedicated account had been looted) and later appointed Head of Department, Social Sciences, in the School of General Studies. The petition also highlighted the embezzlement of National Housing Fund and National Health Insurance Scheme deductions, further depriving staff of entitled benefits. According to the documents, the Delta State Government recently invited heads of institutions and union leaders to Asaba, where principal officers of Delta State Polytechnic Otefe-Oghara and Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku were reportedly indicted for similar pension embezzlement between March 2023 and date. However, political considerations allegedly led to the matter being covered up. The whistleblower urged the ICPC Chairman to launch an immediate investigation, recover the diverted funds, and prosecute those found culpable. A follow-up proof of delivery confirms the petition reached the ICPC office in Asaba on January 20, 2026, at 15:33, signed by receiver Moses Oboh. Reacting to the allegations, the Rector, Prof. Emmanuel, confirmed the existence of the petition and disclosed that he had been invited by the ICPC. Speaking with SecretsReporters, the Rector said he had already written to the ICPC indicating his willingness to appear before the commission next week. He expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved in his favour and described the allegations as a witch-hunt orchestrated by a few aggrieved staff members who were either ineligible for promotion or could not secure certain appointments. “When you are in this t

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