Head of Service escapes to hospital after EFCC grilling on multibillion naira scam

After a four-day grilling session on billions of naira the EFCC said she misappropriated, Winifred Ekanem Ita-Oyo, head of service of the federation (HoS), has landed in hospital.

She was also interrogated for alleged abuse of duty tour allowance, money laundering and stealing of government funds.

Oyo-Ita has been given restricted access to visitors at the private hospital in Jabi area of Abuja where she is receiving treatment.

She has not been able to return to the anti-corruption agency’s office since she was allowed to go on administrative bail.

About N600m has been traced to the account of one of her key aides who has been unable to give any justifiable explanation for it.

The EFCC has blocked the account and has initiated the process of obtaining an interim forfeiture clause to seize the cash.

Besides that, about N3billion has been traced to the Head of Service which came in through proxy companies.

The EFCC uncovered slush funds linked to the Head of Service while probing the activities of a former Minister under who she served as Permanent Secretary.

“Preliminary investigation confirmed that she used different fronts or cronies to obtain contracts from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs),” a source told the Nation.

“While tracing embezzlement by the ex-Minister, detectives stumbled on diversion of funds into proxy companies which the Head of Service has relationship with.

“The startling revelations made detectives to dig further into her activities as a Permanent Secretary and Head of Service.

“There were proofs of how she secured contracts through proxy firms from some ministries including Special Duties, Power, Works and others. There was a case of abuse of office because there was evidence of pressure on Permanent Secretaries to get her contracts. She moved from one ministry to the other.

“Investigators also discovered that she was involved in falsification of Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) and estacodes

“About N600million has been traced to the account of one of her aides. This illicit account has been blocked and the EFCC is in the process of invoking interim forfeiture clause.”