On Thursday, before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, Hamma Bello, the eighth prosecution witness in the trial of Winifred Oyo-Ita, the former Head of Service of the Federation, described to the court how the defendant and her subordinates misappropriated public funds into their private companies.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Oyo-Ita, the first defendant, as well as her special assistants, Ugbong Effiok, the seventh defendant, and Garba Umar, the fourth defendant.
The remaining six companies are Frontline Ace Global Services Limited, Asanaya Projects Limited, Slopes International Limited, U and U Global Services Ltd, Prince Mega Logistics Ltd, and Good Deal Investments. They are accused of 18 counts involving financial crimes, official corruption, misappropriation, money laundering, and illicit diversion of funds exceeding N3 billion.
The prosecution’s Faruk Abdullahi and H.M. Mohammed led the witness in evidence, and she informed the court that Oyo-Ita had fraudulently awarded herself government contracts through Umar, the fourth defendant, by using Slopes International Limited and Good Deal Investments Limited, the fifth and sixth defendants, respectively.
In February 2019, Good Deal Investment Limited’s first entry transaction revealed that N42,748, 201.47 was deposited into its Zenith Bank account.
The witness said, “We called for the account statements of these two companies, upon analysing them, we realised he (Umar) was paid several sums of money from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing where he is an employee.
“And upon interviewing the fourth defendant, he admitted that he was also a contractor. He also admitted to have paid the first defendant on several occasions from the proceeds of the transaction.”
The witness revealed on April 27, 2019, that N20, 2027, 142 was sent to Asanaya Projects Limited’s Zenith Bank account under Ibrahim Madu’s name.
Effiok, the seventh defendant, is included in the account’s mandate card along with his signature.
The witness stated that further investigation showed that the seventh defendant, with the knowledge of the first defendant, incorporated Asanaya Projects Limited in his name. Approvals and payments were given to the seventh defendant via the company’s account or his personal one.
The witness said, “The seventh defendant, upon interview, confirmed he had never travelled for most of the funds he received and that the first defendant was aware of and benefitted on several occasions from the funds. The account of U and U Global Services Limited was also opened by the seventh defendant.
“In summary, from 2015 to 2018, U and U Global Limited received several payments in the form of Duty Tour Allowances and estacodes. Sometimes, payments from the Federal Government were made directly to the account, for instance, on March 24, 2016, he received N40, 313, 453. 58. This particular payment was from the Federal Government.”
Further in his testimony, the witness stated, “Exhibit O is the Fidelity Bank account of Prince Mega Logistics Ltd. On March 27, 2018, and April 6, 2018, there were four entries, N4, 950, 000; N3,946,000, N4,676,000 and N1,478,000, from Thomson Titus Okure, who used to be a colleague of the seventh defendant in the Account Department.
“There were also outward payments to Ignom, Minaro Blessing, Winifred Oyo-Ita, Olarenwaju Godman Olushola and the seventh defendant is the sole signatory of this account.”
“I also want to add that we invited the first, second and seventh defendant at different times to our office and interviewed them. In the case of the first defendant, we printed chats from her phone and saw conversations she had with contractors, subordinates, and permanent secretaries. She also voluntarily made a statement to the EFCC.” he added.
The matter was adjourned till April 30, 2024.
