Calabar, Cross River state – A Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River state, has sentenced Dr Geraldine Orok Ita to seven years in prison for fraud.
Dr Ita was handed a 7-year prison sentence after the court convicted her on multiple counts of forgery and fund diversion amounting to N127.7 million.
How Geraldine Orok Ita was convicted
Justice Rosemary Oghogho-rie delivered the verdict after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully prosecuted Ita on a 12-count charge.
The charges included forging company documents and unlawfully diverting funds intended for a university project.
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One of the charges stated that on November 6, 2014, Ita falsified an annual return form (CAC 10) for Sharpnet Concept Limited, allegedly signing on behalf of another director, Mrs. Rose Orok Ita. The court found this action to be in violation of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
Another charge detailed how Ita, on February 14, 2019, received N45 million through her company’s bank account, knowing the funds were proceeds of a fraudulent transaction related to a University of Calabar project. The court ruled that this constituted money laundering under Nigerian law.
Geraldine Orok Ita pleads not guilty
Legit.ng gathers that Dr Ita pleaded not guilty, leading to a trial that began in 2019. The EFCC, represented by prosecution counsel Joshua Abolarin, called witnesses and presented documentary evidence.
The court found the prosecution’s case compelling and ruled that Ita had committed the offences beyond a reasonable doubt.
In a statement released on Saturday, February 8, the EFCC said its investigation began after a 2019 petition from two directors of Sharpnet Concept Limited and ROK Projects Limited.
The complainants alleged that Ita had altered company records to remove them as directors and fraudulently claimed to be the second wife of the late Engr. Orok Okonkon Ita, who passed away in 2004.
According to the petition, Ita unilaterally appointed a new company secretary, changed the registered business address, and reassigned company shares to herself. These actions, investigators determined, were intended to seize control of the firms and their financial transactions.
EFCC arrests suspected internet fraudsters in Benin
The arrests took place on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at a suspected cybercrime training centre in Benin City, Edo state.
According to the anti-graft agency, the operation was based on credible intelligence that identified the apartment as a “Yahoo academy,” a facility used to train individuals in internet fraud and related criminal activities.
