The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has accused a director in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Solomon Okpa Ita, of using Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) as fronts to embezzle government money. ICPC’s Spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, alleged that the money had been used to acquire property under contention.
Okoduwa said that the director could not show evidence that the property were obtained with his legitimate earnings, adding that investigation revealed that Ita, in one instance, facilitated the payment of N20 million into the account of one of the NGOs, which was then transferred to a bank account of a third party.
She further alleged that the third party, while acting on instructions from the director, was said to have transferred the same amount to one Ita Williams Okpa, for onward handing over to the director.
The spokesperson maintained that another illegal transaction of N45 million was made through the same channel for his personal use. She, however, disclosed that the commission had asked a Federal High Court, Abuja, to order the interim forfeiture of a petrol station and a warehouse, among others, belonging to Ita.
