Hamma Bello, a prosecution witness, in the trial of Winifred Oyo-Ita, former head of service (HoS), has told a federal high court in Abuja how the first defendant and her subordinates allegedly diverted public funds into their private companies.

Oyo-Ita (first defendant) is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Ugbong Okon Effiok (seventh defendant), Garba Umar (fourth defendant), her special assistants, and 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 on 18-count charges bordering on misappropriation, official corruption, money laundering and criminal diversion of funds to the tune of over N3 billion.

While being led in evidence on Thursday by Faruk Abdullahi and H.M. Mohammed, prosecution counsel, Bello told James Omotosho, the presiding judge, that Oyo-Ita used Slopes International Limited and Good Deal Investments Limited, fifth and sixth defendants, respectively, to fraudulently award government contracts to herself through Umar.

He said the first entry transaction of Good Deal Investment Ltd in February 2019 showed that money was paid into its Zenith Bank account to the tune of N42,748,201.47.

The witness said Umar incorporated the company with Oyo-Ita’s full knowledge.

“We called for the account statements of these two companies, upon analyzing them, we realized he (Umar) was paid several sums of money from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing where he is an employee,” Bello told the court.

“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.”

He further disclosed that on April 27, 2019, a transfer of N20, 227,1 42 was made in the name of one Ibrahim Madu to the Zenith Bank account of Asanaya Projects Ltd.

He added that the mandate card of the account bears the signature and photo of the seventh defendant, Effiok.

The witness also said the seventh defendant incorporated Asanaya Projects Ltd in his name with the knowledge of the first defendant, noting that approvals were granted while payments were made to the seventh defendant either through his personal account or to the account of the company.

“The seventh defendant upon interview, confirmed he never travelled for most of the funds he received and that the first defendant was aware and benefitted on several occasions from the funds. The account of U and U Global Services Limited was also opened by the seventh defendant,” he said.

“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.”

1. The Federal Government has ordered a comprehensive manhunt for 109 fleeing inmates of Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre in Niger State. The inmates escaped on Wednesday night when a torrential rainfall pulled down the walls of the facility.

2. The All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday proposed an all-inclusive government in Ondo State as a solution to its post-primary election crisis. The terms of reconciliation initiated by the National Working Committee, NWC, included the reconstitution of the State Executive Council and appointment of local government caretaker committee to reflect diverse interests.

3. The outcome of last year’s general elections reflected the will of Nigerians, the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour has said in a report. According to the report, many independent observers assessed the results of the presidential, legislative, and state-level elections during the year and concluded that they reflected the will of voters.

4. Former Ondo State Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi yesterday won the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the November election. Agboola was a candidate of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, in the 2020 election, but came a distant third.

5. A harmonised new minimum national wage may be ready on or before President Bola Tinubu’s first anniversary on May 29. A source in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) which made this known to The Nation yesterday, said the new wage would meet the nation’s current economic reality.

6. Telecommunications operators in the country, including MTN Nigeria and Globacom, have asked for the Federal Government’s approval through the Nigerian Communications Commission to raise their tariff. The development came after foreign exchange losses and rising energy costs forced some of the operators to post losses last year.

7. The queues for Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, grew worse in Abuja and neighbouring Nasarawa and Niger states on Thursday, as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited blamed the development on logistics issues, but was quick to state that it had been resolved.

8. The Nigerian Navy said it has concluded arrangements to relocate the Naval Training Command headquarters from Lagos to Onne in Rivers State. The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla disclosed this when he led a delegation of top officers of Navy High Command on a courtesy visit to the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, at Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday.

9. The Edo State Police Command has arrested three pipeline vandals in the Obazagbon community of Orhiomwon Local Government Area. The suspects include Jackson Aluche, 45; Oke Okoro, 30 and Oluchukwu Chukwuma, 18. It was gathered that the incident occurred on April 14 at about 10:30 am.

10. The Nigerian military has closed its camp and withdrawn troops in Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, resulting in fear as residents fled the community over fear of attacks. Allawa community is one of the communities facing severe attacks by bandits and terrorists in Shiroro LGA of the state.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says the recent price increases in MultiChoice cable subscriptions will reviewed by relevant stakeholders to ensure subscribers in Nigeria get value for their money.

The Acting CEO of FCCPC, Adamu Abdullahi, spoke exclusively to Channels Television on its Dateline Abuja programme on Thursday.

During the interview, he provided an update on the summons issued to the owner of a Chinese store in Abuja accused of discriminatory and sharp practices.

He also commented on the adherence to the order given to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, stating that sanctions are imminent for all verified infractions identified by the agency.

MultiChoice, a major satellite television service in Sub-Saharan Africa based in South Africa, recently announced fresh increases in prices on the DSTV and GOtv packages, saying the increase was necessitated by the rise in the cost of business operations.

According to the company, the increment would take effect on May 1, 2024.

The Premium package on DSTV which used to cost N29,500, would now go for N37,000, while the Compact Plus which currently goes for N19,800, has been increased to N25,000.

See full list of price changes below: