News

EFCC arraigns director for allegedly stealing N30m HIV/AIDS funds

Published

5 years ago

July 6, 2019

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned one Dr Nkereuwem Etok before Justice A . Okeke of the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo , Akwa Ibom State , on a five count bordering on abuse of office and money laundering .
The accused , who is the Director and Project Manager of Akwa Ibom State Agency for Control of AIDS , was arrested by the operatives of the Commission on May 23 , 2019 , following series of reports linking him to embezzlement of N 30 m AIDS funds .
The amount , it was gathered , was released to his agency in 2018 by the office of the Secretary to the State Government for outreach, sensitisation, HIV testing /counselling and purchase of screening and confirmatory test tie breaker .

Investigations into the matter revealed that the accused allegedly used less than N 6 m for the purpose for which the money was released and diverted the rest for personal use .

One of the counts against the accused read , “ That you Dr Nkereuwem Etok between 26 th and 28 th November , 2018 at Uyo within the jurisdiction of this honourable court , while being Director and Project Supervisor of Akwa Ibom State Agency for the Control of AIDS did convert a total sum of N 24 , 700, 200. 00 , knowing that the said fund is a proceed of your unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 ( 2 ) ( a ) of the Money Laundering ( Prohibition ) Act , 2011 ( as amended ) . ”
He pleaded not guilty to the five counts and in view of his plea , the prosecuting counsel , Adebayo Soares , prayed the court to remand the accused in prison and fix a date for trial .