CAC uncovers 189 fake companies

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has uncovered 189 companies it described as fake.

According to the commission, the companies were registered by fraudulent lawyers, in collaboration with unscrupulous staff of the commission to deprive government of revenues.

The newly appointed Registrar General of CAC, Hussaini Magaji, disclosed this in Abuja, while speaking with journalists.

He told reporters that a syndicate of criminals that specialises in operating numerous unregistered companies was nabbed by the commission and handed over to the police for prosecution.

“One of the milestones achieved upon my assumption of duty is our ability to bust a ring of criminals that are creating havoc in the commission. About 189 fake companies have been identified, used by this group of persons to secure lands.

“We discovered that these non-existing entities collaborate with lawyers who claim to be accredited agents with the commission.

“They also work with staff of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to perfect their nefarious activities. They collaborate with some staff of the Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS), make applications at the AGIS and take priority over existing applications. With collaboration of security agents, we arrested the suspects and they have volunteered some information”, Magaji said.

He added that the persons were arrested following complaints by FCT authorities asking CAC to verify applications made by some entities. He said upon inquiries, the commission discovered the companies were not in existence.

“The nature of their crime is that they create a fake entity, apply for land at the FCTA, manoeuvre their way to have priority over an existing application, and take over land”, he added.