A Zenith Bank Plc staff, Eucharia Ezeodi, and a director with the federal civil service, Felix Nweke, on Friday, testified against Anamekwe Nwabuoku, former acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), in the alleged N1.96 billion fraud.

They gave their testimonies before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where they were led in evidence by Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nwabuoku was admitted to an N500 million bail with two sureties in the like sum after being arraigned on Jan. 15 on a nine-count amended charge.

The EFCC listed Nwabuoku as the sole defendant in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/240/2024.

In count one of the charges filed on Nov. 27, 2024, the EFCC alleged that Nwabuoku, along with Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited (at large), Turge Global Investment Limited (at large), Laptev Bridge Limited, Arafura Transnational Afro Limited (at large) and other persons (all at large), conspired to convert funds.

The funds were said to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

The anti-graft agency said the offence was contrary to Section 18 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (amended by Act No. 1 of 2012) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Giving her evidence, Ezeodi, the 1st prosecution witness (PW-1), admitted knowing the latter while he was a Federal Ministry of Defence director.

“I am a banker with Zenith Bank. My office is at Ralph Shodeinde Street, Central Business District in Abuja.

“I have worked for 15 years. I am a marketer in the bank. My duty is to generate business, bring new customers to the bank, etc,” she said.

The witness said that in 2019, she sometimes met Nwabuoku at the Federal Ministry of Defence, where she was a Director of Finance and Accounts.

“I know him through Mr Felix Nweke,” she said.

She said that, sometime in 2022, the EFCC invited her to discuss the corporate accounts opened for the four companies allegedly used by Nwabuoku to move money out of the ministry’s coffers.

She said the companies include Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge Limited and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited.

The PW-1 said she was questioned about what she knew about the accounts and those behind the opening.

She said the accounts, which were opened in 2019, had Mr Gideon Joseph as a signatory.

“In 2019, I met them with Mr Nweke; I opened the corporate account for them for Arafura Ltd, Theo Synergy Ltd,

She said that she also met Nwabuoku during her interaction with Mr Nweke.

The witness identified the bank documents, including the statements of account for the four companies, account opening packages, documents from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), her signature on the documents, and more.

Iheanacho tendered all the documents, and after the defendant’s lawyer, Isidore Udenko, did not oppose them, the judge admitted them in evidence.

During Udenko's cross-examination, the banker said she had no personal relationship with Nwabuoku except for bank transactions.

When asked if Nwabuoku’s name was reflected in any of the transactions, the witness said a director must not necessarily be a signatory to a company’s account.

However, she said that a signatory to an account must bring his Identity Card, a Bank Verification Number (BVN), and a passport photograph, among other things, which she said Joseph did.

Ezeodi said the transactions in the account statements were simply deposits and withdrawals. Mr Gideon Joseph made all the withdrawals, although Nwabuoku allegedly benefited from them.

Also giving his evidence, Felix Nweke said he worked under Nwabuoku in the Defence Ministry as deputy director.

“I am a civil servant and presently a director with federal civil service. I am in the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation awaiting posting,” he said.

Nweke said that between 2018 and 2020, he was a deputy director in charge of expenditures at the Defence Ministry.

He said part of his function was to prepare a schedule of inflows and outflows due to the services (e.g., the Army, Navy and Air Force).

When he resumed his ministry duties in 2018, Nwabuoku told him that funds needed to be available to facilitate the stakeholders, the National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The witness said the defendant told him they needed to be creative in generating funds to facilitate the ministry's activities.

He said the defendant told him they needed to establish companies to pull out funds, raise money, and service the ministry's stakeholders.

Nweke, the 2nd prosecution witness (PW-2), said he then contacted Gideon Joseph, who came to the ministry with his brother at the time to make the supply.

He said though Joseph wanted him to assist in giving him contracts, Nweke said he told him that issues of contract were not within his purview.

He said he told Nwabuoku about Joseph and advised that they should help him (Joseph).

“I took Gideon to Eucharia, who has been coming to the ministry for business. I assisted him in opening an account with Zenith Bank,” he said.

The PW-2 said the banker assisted in opening the four accounts with Joseph’s name as a signatory.

“When we go to a public hearing and the National Assembly, after the hearing, we would have a private sitting where we discussed the need to raise the money for the ministry,” he said.

He said they would raise money either in naira or foreign currencies

He alleged that the money was then given to Nwabuoku either directly or by proxy.

“Sometimes, the director will ask me to do some transfers to private persons,” he said.

Nweke said the generated funds were often used for welfare packages for the military because there was no such provision.

When the EFCC’s lawyer asked him how the funds were paid into these accounts, Nweke said the money “is from the military's internal security operations account.”

When asked who paid the money into the internal security operations account, the witness said, “It is from the ministry’s account that payments were made.”

The witness mentioned five names from the bank documents, including those who were workers in the Ministry of Defence.

He alleged that funds were transferred into these staff members' bank accounts, withdrawals were made, and the money was paid back into the four companies’ accounts, where Nwabuoku was allegedly the beneficiary.

After cross-examination by Nwabuoku’s lawyer, Udenko, Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter until February 26 and March 5 to continue the trial.