Imo lawmaker alleges firm used as conduit to siphon N3.1bn

TRACKING____A member of Imo state House of Assembly, Kennedy Ibeh has disclosed how his company, White Label International company Limited accounts were used to siphon funds to preferred individuals and companies.

Ibeh, who was special assistant to then state Commissioner for Finance and now a member of the House of Representatives for Okigwe South, Rep. Chikwe Okafor disclosed this while giving evidence before the judicial commission of inquiry on contracts.

He mentioned all the bank where the company’s accounts were domiciled, giving further details of how his company got involved in the construction of school blocks in the state.

Ibeh said that in 2013, his principal (Okafor) “asked me if I had any registered company I had absolute control over and I said yes. He gave me a telephone number I should call, giving the company’s name and account numbers.”

He recalled an incident in Zenith Bank premises, Owerri, involving the former Chairman of the Imo state Universal Basic Education Board (IMSUBEB), Uche Ejiogu, Chike Okafor, Emeka Duru and himself.

He added that “I was shown a document that contained names of schools and for each of those schools, names of some government functionaries were attached.

“The first alert I got was for N1.7 billion. The second document showed names of contractors and account numbers where monies should be paid into.

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“I put it on record that schools in Ihitte Uboma, Obowo and Ehime Mbano were under Chike Okafor; schools in Ngor Okpala were under Sir George Eche, while the ones in Mbaitoli and Ideato area were under the former Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere and Dr. Paschal Obi, respectively.”

While saying that a total of N3.1 billion was paid into his company’s account, Ibeh however, recalled that in 2014, while the projects were going on, I was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stressing that following the grilling, he thereafter, made serious inquiries to ascertain the status of the 91 school projects.

“I remember being told by the IMSUBEB Chairman, Uche Ejiogu, that the project was supposed to be a contract, but due process was not followed. It was at the EFCC that it dawned on me that there was actually a contract, which I never knew about. I am still visiting the EFCC. It is traumatizing that I am still being queried over this job.”

He expressed anger on being used and dumped, insisting that he did not get any reward from anybody thereafter.

When Justice Iheka read the testimony of Chike Okafor before the commission, Ibeh said: “I will be surprised to hear that he claimed that I bid for the contract and won because he (Okafor) knows he got me involved in this trauma.”