Another person from Cross River State occupying strategic position in President Muhammadu Buhari administration may soon join the train of victims of being shown the exit route from federal government in an indecorous manner.
A report by The Nation indicates shows that Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has quizzed Mrs. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation over alleged N3 billion contract scam.
Oyo-Ita was said to have been grilled for four days by the anti-graft agency after tracing about N600 million to the account of one of her key aides who has been unable to give any justifiable explanation for it.
She is the latest victim from Cross River to be shredded by President Buhari from strategic position under his watch.
In July 2015, President Buhari sacked Ita Ekpenyong, the Director-General of the State Security Service.
Though Ekpenyong from Cross River said he resigned, he has gone into dustbin of history as an unsung hero.
Next, Buhari fired Walter Onnoghen, former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), over allegations of corruption and non-declaration of assets.
Onnoghen who is an indigene of Cross River is now past tense in the Judiciary over the allegation.
However, Buhari has suspended Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, the Chairman, Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property,“with immediate effect.”
In a letter dated Wednesday, August 14, 2019 and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Obono-Obla was accused of “falsification of records and financial impropriety”.
Meanwhile, Oyo-Ita was reported to have been interrogated for alleged abuse of duty tour allowance, money laundering and stealing of government funds.
After a four-day grilling during which she was in custody of the anti-graft agency beginning from Thursday, August 8, Mrs Oyo-Ita has landed in the hospital after being granted an administrative bail.
She has also been given restricted access to visitors at the private hospital in Jabi area of Abuja where she is receiving treatment.
Although the administrative bail was granted so that she could be reporting for further interrogation from her office, she has not been able to return to the EFCC’s office since she was allowed to go. About N600 million 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 since blocked the account and has initiated the process of obtaining an interim forfeiture clause to seize the cash. Preliminary findings confirmed that about N3 billion has been traced to the Head of Service which came in through proxy companies.
Detectives, it was gathered, uncovered slush funds linked to the Oyo-Ita while probing the activities of a former minister under who she served as permanent secretary.
