Hamma Adama Bello, identified as Prosecution Witness Eight (PW8) in the trial of former Head of Service (HoS), Winifred Oyo-Ita, reportedly detailed on Thursday, April 25, how the defendant and her aides purportedly redirected public funds into their personal businesses.
This testimony was delivered before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
Oyo-Ita, the primary defendant, is currently undergoing criminal prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), along with her special assistants: Ugbong Okon Effiok (the seventh defendant) and Garba Umar (the fourth defendant), as well as six companies:
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 face 18-count charges related to misappropriation, official corruption, money laundering, and the criminal diversion of funds, amounting to over N3 billion.
The witness, while testifying under the examination of prosecution counsel Faruk Abdullahi and H.M. Mohammed, alleged that Oyo-Ita utilized Slopes International Limited and Good Deal Investments Limited (the fifth and sixth defendants, respectively) to illicitly secure government contracts for herself through the involvement of the fourth defendant, Umar.
This information was disclosed by the EFCC in a statement signed by its head of media and publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Thursday.
The initial transaction recorded for Good Deal Investment Ltd in February 2019 indicated a payment into its Zenith Bank account amounting to N42,748,201.47 (Forty-two million, seven hundred and forty-eight thousand, two hundred and one naira, forty-seven kobo).
According to the witness, Umar established the company with the full knowledge of Oyo-Ita.
“We obtained the account statements of these two companies, and upon examination, we discovered that he (Umar) received multiple payments from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, where he is employed. Upon interviewing the fourth defendant, he admitted to also being a contractor. He confessed to having made several payments to the first defendant from the proceeds of these transactions,” the witness explained.
The witness further revealed that on April 27, 2019, a transfer of N20,027,142 (Twenty million, two thousand and twenty-seven, one hundred and forty-two naira) was executed in the name of Ibrahim Madu to the Zenith Bank account of Asanaya Projects Ltd. The mandate card of the account bore the signature and photograph of the seventh defendant, Effiok.
As per the testimony of the witness, the investigation uncovered that the seventh defendant established Asanaya Projects Ltd under his name with the knowledge of the first defendant. Approvals were granted, and payments were made to the seventh defendant, either into his personal account or into the company’s account.
The witness stated, “Upon interview, the seventh defendant confirmed that he did not travel for most of the funds he received and that the first defendant was aware of and benefited from the funds on several occasions. The account for 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 various payments in the form of Duty Tour Allowances and estacodes. At times, payments from the federal government were directly deposited into the account. For instance, on March 24, 2016, an amount of N40,313,453.58 (Forty million, three hundred and thirteen thousand, four hundred and three naira, fifty-eight kobo) was received from the federal government.”
Continuing with his testimony, the witness mentioned, “Exhibit O pertains to the Fidelity Bank account of Prince Mega Logistics Ltd. On March 27, 2018, and April 6, 2018, there were four transactions: N4,950,000 (Four million, nine hundred and fifty thousand naira); N3,946,000 (Three million, nine hundred and forty-six thousand naira); N4,676,000 (Four million, six hundred and seventy-six thousand naira); and N1,478,000 (One million, four hundred and seventy-eight thousand naira) from Thomson Titus Okure, a former colleague of the seventh defendant in the Account Department.
“In addition, there were outgoing payments to Ignom, Minaro Blessing, Winifred Oyo-Ita, Olarenwaju Godman Olushola, with the seventh defendant being the sole signatory of this account.”
Expanding on the investigation, he added, “We also summoned the first, second, and seventh defendants separately to our office for questioning. Regarding the first defendant, we retrieved chat records from her phone, revealing conversations with contractors, subordinates, and permanent secretaries. She also provided a statement voluntarily to the EFCC.”
The case was adjourned until April 30, 2024.
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