Hamma Bello, the eighth witness in the trial of Winifred Oyo-Ita, explained to the court how she and her colleagues misused public funds for their own companies.
Winifred Oyo-Ita, along with her special assistants, Ugbong Effiok and Garba Umar, are facing criminal charges for diverting funds to private companies.
Six companies, including 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, are involved in 18 counts of financial misconduct.
The witness, under prosecution questioning, stated that Oyo-Ita used Slopes International Limited and Good Deal Investments Limited to deceitfully secure government contracts with the help of Umar.
In February 2019, the first transaction for Good Deal Investment Limited totaled N42,748,201.47 in their Zenith Bank account.
The witness claimed that Umar established the company with Oyo-Ita’s approval.
The witness found that Umar received numerous payments from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, where he worked.
“Upon interviewing the fourth defendant, he confessed to being a contractor and admitted to making payments to the first defendant from the transaction proceeds,” the witness stated.
The witness revealed a transfer of N20,2027,142 to the Zenith Bank account of Asanaya Projects Limited on April 27, 2019.
The account's mandate card had the signature and photo of the seventh defendant, Effiok.
The witness reported that Effiok incorporated Asanaya Projects Limited with Oyo-Ita's awareness and received approvals and payments for the company.
The witness claimed, “The seventh defendant confirmed that he received funds without traveling and that the first defendant benefited from the funds. U and U Global Services Limited was also opened by the seventh defendant.
“Between 2015 and 2018, U and U Global Limited received various payments, including Duty Tour Allowances and estacodes. The federal government also made direct payments to the account, for example, N40,313,453.58 on March 24, 2016.”
The witness mentioned that 'Exhibit O is the Fidelity Bank account of Prince Mega Logistics Ltd.' and detailed the four entries made by Thomson Titus Okure on March 27, 2018, and April 6, 2018.
Payments were also made to Ignom, Minaro Blessing, Winifred Oyo-Ita, Olarenwaju Godman Olushola, and the seventh defendant is the only one authorized to sign for this account.
He also mentioned that they called in the first, second, and seventh defendants for interviews, printed chats from the first defendant's phone, and observed her conversations with contractors, subordinates, and permanent secretaries. The first defendant also gave a statement to the EFCC.
The case was postponed until April 30, 2024.
