Justice F. Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Abuja admitted a fresh exhibit against Emmanuella Eteta Ita, Head of Stakeholders Unit at the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), and Surestart School Ltd.
According to a statement by the EFCC on Tuesday, the trial focused on alleged criminal misappropriation, diversion, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering totaling N2 billion, involved a trial within a trial to determine the admissibility of Ita’s statement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ita’s counsel, Paul Erokoro, had objected to the admissibility, claiming the statement was extracted under duress and without her counsel present.
Despite the objection, Justice Ogunbanjo ruled that the defense did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the statement was involuntary, citing Section 15 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
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The statement was admitted as evidence and marked as “Exhibit 25.” Ijeoma Matilda, an EFCC operative, provided testimony, concluding her evidence on the matter.
She highlighted information from System Specs, a government remittance payment platform, revealing transfers totaling N173,346,391.50 into Surestart School Ltd between 2017 and 2018.
- Matilda disclosed irregularities, including unexplained transfers, receipts for Lomein Express Ltd that were disclaimed by the company, and letters of reimbursement from non-existent addresses. It was revealed that Ita claimed to have resigned from Surestart School Ltd, but CAC documents contradicted this, establishing her as the school’s owner.
- The witness further detailed Ita’s refund of about N19.5 million into the EFCC’s account. The analysis of Ita’s salary account at FIRS showed substantial sums moved into Surestart School Ltd’s account, totaling over N277 million, in addition to allowances.
The frequency of these transfers aligned with Ita’s salary payments, raising suspicions of financial impropriety.
Justice Ogunbanjo adjourned the matter to January 23(today) and 24, 2024.
The inordinate desire of many Nigerians for a celebrity-type cushy life and extravagant lifestyle without the desire to put in the hard work and diligence required as well as the failure of the law to probe people’s sources of sudden wealth and to hold people duly accountable for their misdeeds are the leading causes of the current social breakdown in the country, hence fraud, corruption in government and private organisations, kidnapping and terrorism seem to have become the choice career for many, irrespective of their religious inclinations.