The Executive Secretary of the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Echuseh Audu, is facing allegations of diverting relief materials meant for vulnerable residents of Taraba State. Dr. Audu had previously voluntarily presented herself to security agencies after allegations surfaced on social media claiming that rice and groundnut oil meant for vulnerable Taraba residents had been diverted. She denied the allegations and called for an investigation to establish the truth.
Financial records obtained by SaharaReporters and reviewed alongside information show a series of transactions involving accounts associated with Dr. Audu and Katuka’s Kitchen, a registered business name that appears in the records. According to a source, Dr. Audu has resigned from Katuka Kitchen on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) but her Bank Verification Number (BVN) is still linked to the Katuka Kitchen, meaning she has resigned on paper but refused to remove herself from the bank account.
The records raise questions about the movement of millions of naira through accounts associated with the business and about payments made to Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja. One of the transactions reflected in the documents reviewed shows that on October 28, 2025, the Taraba State LPRES Draw Down Account at Zenith Bank transferred ₦12,190,726.80 to Katuka’s Kitchen, with the exact amount subsequently transferred back to the same LPRES Draw Down Account.
The financial records reviewed show several substantial inflows involving Katuka’s Kitchen and accounts associated with Dr. Echuseh Audu. On May 10, 2024, an amount of ₦15million was transferred from account number 1021531544, bearing the name Audu Echuseh Echuseh and held with UBA Bank. On August 16, 2024, ₦7million was recorded from account number 5600910015, belonging to Katuka’s Kitchen at Fidelity Bank.
The records also contain three substantial payments to Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja. On February 20, 2026, ₦15 million was transferred to Nizamiye Hospital’s GTBank account number 0174646951. Six days later, on February 26, 2026, another ₦14 million was transferred to the same account. A further ₦15 million payment to the same Nizamiye Hospital account is also recorded, although the date of that transaction is not indicated in the documents reviewed.
Sources close to Dr. Audu told SaharaReporters that Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, confirmed that the payments were for a young girl who had unfortunately died. The documents also show other significant outflows from accounts associated with the transactions under review, including ₦7.4million transferred from account number 0048950650 to Abdulganiyyu Ali Uba at GTBank.
The Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which contains the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, stipulates that public officers must not put themselves in a position where their personal interests conflict with their official duties. Dr. Audu's actions, as revealed by the financial records, have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the misuse of public funds.
Key points
- Dr. Echuseh Audu, the Executive Secretary of Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), faces allegations of diverting relief materials and misusing funds.
- Financial records show transactions involving accounts associated with Dr. Audu and Katuka’s Kitchen, including payments totalling ₦44 million to Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja.
- The allegations have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the misuse of public funds, with calls for further investigation.
