A witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ijeoma Maltida, explained how Emmanuella-Eteta Ita, the Head of the Stakeholders Unit at the Federal Inland Revenue Services, moved money meant for stakeholders’ assignments to her private school, Surestart School Limited.
The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, announced the court proceedings in a statement on Monday.
Oyewale stated, “During the ongoing trial of Emmanuella Eteta Ita, the Head of Stakeholders Unit at the Federal Inland Revenue Services, a witness informed Justice Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Abuja how Ita diverted funds meant for stakeholders’ assignments to her private school, Surestart School Limited.
“While working as the Head of the Stakeholders Unit of the FIRS, Ita also operated Surestart School Limited.
“Testifying during cross-examination by defence counsel, Paul Erokoro, witness Ijeoma Maltida revealed that Ita undertook some stakeholders’ assignments and the funds meant for the projects were traced to her account.
“Investigations revealed that the same funds were sent directly to the account of Surestart School Limited.”
Quoting the witness, Oyewale noted, “When she came to our office, we took her statement, we were cordial with her, and she was treated very well with utmost respect. While she was with us for reconciliation, she started bringing documents, and she also opted to pay back for some reconciliation she could not account for.
“In her statement, she expressed her intention to refund the money, although the source of the money is unknown. So far, she has refunded about N17 million, despite claiming to have benefited about N5 million from the programme.
“I don’t know the standard practice of sourcing funds before asking for reimbursement, and it is not within the scope of our investigation. All I know is that she undertook some of the stakeholders’ events, and we discovered that those funds from FIRS went directly to the account of Surestart School Limited, despite the assignment not being completed.
Matilda continued, “She said the vendors intended for the events testified that the receipts didn't come from them. She also claimed that the receipts were given to her by a staff of FIRS named Daniel.
“We were informed he had passed away, and we requested and received his death certificate. Upon investigating his account details, we found he was also a beneficiary. We contacted FIRS, UBA, and System Spec, and invited everyone involved in this matter, which led to the evidence we have.
Oyewale noted that Justice Ogunbanjo adjourned the matter till March 20 and 21, 2024, for further cross-examination.
