Witness Testifies On Alleged Diversion Of N2bn Funds By Eteta Ita In First Bank Fraud Case

Ijeoma Matilda, the sixth prosecution witness (PW6) in the trial of Emmanuella Eteta Ita, Head of the Stakeholders Unit at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), testified regarding the alleged diversion of funds meant for stakeholders’ assignments to Ita’s private school account, Surestart School Ltd.

Before Justice Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on March 18, 2024, Matilda revealed that funds intended for stakeholders’ projects were traced to Ita’s account, with payment narration indicating the diversion. Additionally, the same funds were found to have been directed to the account of Surestart School Ltd, the second defendant in the case.

According to a statement by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Matilda, under cross-examination by defense counsel Paul Erokoro, stated that Ita had agreed during investigations to reimburse some funds for reconciliations she couldn’t account for.

“She said in her statement that she will pay back the money, I don’t know where she got the money from, and so far, she has refunded about N17 million, though she told us that she benefited about N5 million.

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