Fresh questions have emerged over financial transactions involving the Executive Secretary of the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Echuseh Audu, and accounts linked to a business associated with her.
The development followed a review of financial records by SaharaReporters, which reportedly identified inflows totalling ₦49.44 million into accounts linked to Katuka’s Kitchen and accounts associated with Audu.
The records also showed a transaction of ₦12.19 million involving the Taraba State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (LPRES) Draw Down Account and Katuka’s Kitchen.
Gists9ja reports that the financial questions come amid earlier allegations concerning the alleged diversion of relief materials, including rice and groundnut oil, meant for vulnerable residents in Taraba State.
Audu has previously denied the allegations and voluntarily presented herself before security and investigative agencies, requesting that the claims be fully investigated.
₦12.19m LPRES Transaction
One of the transactions highlighted in the records occurred on October 28, 2025.
According to the documents reviewed by SaharaReporters, the Taraba State LPRES Draw Down Account domiciled with Zenith Bank transferred ₦12,190,726.80 to a Zenith Bank account belonging to Katuka’s Kitchen.
The records reportedly showed that the same amount was subsequently transferred back into the LPRES Draw Down Account.
A source quoted by SaharaReporters questioned the transaction, arguing that a public official should not have a contract awarded to a company with which she is connected.
The source said:
“As a public office holder, contract is not supposed to be awarded to a company she has a tie with. But if you check the transactions, you will see that Taraba LPRESS, a World Bank project paid ₦12 million to her.”
However, the transaction records alone do not establish whether the payment represented a contract, reimbursement, reversal, temporary transfer or another legitimate financial transaction.
₦49.44m in Listed Inflows
The financial documents reportedly showed several other inflows into accounts linked to Katuka’s Kitchen and Audu.
Among the transactions listed were:
- ₦15 million transferred on May 10, 2024, from an account bearing the name Audu Echuseh Echuseh at UBA.
- ₦7 million transferred on August 16, 2024, from a Fidelity Bank account belonging to Katuka’s Kitchen.
- ₦12,190,726.80 recorded on October 28, 2025, from the Taraba State LPRES Draw Down Account.
- ₦5.25 million recorded on January 30, 2026, from an account belonging to Sunday Stephen at Globus Bank.
- ₦5,000,020 recorded on February 25, 2026, from an account identified as belonging to Callistus Obiejezie.
- Another ₦5 million from an account bearing the name Audu Echuseh at UBA, although the date was not indicated.
The listed transactions reportedly amounted to ₦49,440,746.80.
₦44m Paid to Abuja Hospital
The documents also reportedly contained three major payments to Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja.
The first payment of ₦15 million was reportedly made on February 20, 2026, to the hospital’s GTBank account.
Another ₦14 million was reportedly transferred to the same account six days later, on February 26.
A third payment of ₦15 million was also listed, although the date was not indicated.
The three transactions amounted to ₦44 million.
However, sources close to Audu reportedly told SaharaReporters that Nizamiye Hospital confirmed the money was used for the treatment of a young girl who later died.
Other Transactions
The records reviewed also reportedly contained other substantial transactions.
One showed that ₦7.4 million was transferred on February 9, 2026, from an account identified as 0048950650 to Abdulganiyyu Ali Uba at GTBank.
Another ₦5 million was reportedly transferred on January 20, 2026, from an account bearing Audu Echuseh’s name to another account also bearing her name.
The documents further showed a ₦6.2 million transaction on September 2, 2025, involving an account identified as 8064303532 and Abdulganiyyu Ali Uba.
Questions Over Katuka’s Kitchen
The records have also drawn attention to Katuka’s Kitchen, a registered business name that reportedly appeared in several of the transactions.
Multiple accounts bearing the business name were listed, including accounts with Access Bank, Globus Bank and Fidelity Bank.
A source reportedly claimed that Audu had resigned from Katuka’s Kitchen at the Corporate Affairs Commission but alleged that her Bank Verification Number remained linked to the company’s bank account.
However, the claim did not independently establish whether Audu continued to control or operate any of the accounts after the alleged resignation.
Earlier Relief Material Allegations
The latest financial questions emerged after allegations circulated on social media accusing Taraba SEMA of allegedly diverting large quantities of relief materials meant for vulnerable residents and internally displaced persons.
The allegations claimed that more than 10,000 bags of rice and over 1,000 cartons of groundnut oil intended for vulnerable groups were diverted and sold outside the state.
However, no verifiable evidence had been publicly presented to substantiate those specific allegations at the time of the report.
Audu denied the claims and voluntarily reported herself to security and investigative authorities, including the police, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Special Adviser on Security to the Taraba State Governor and the state Ministry of Justice.
She reportedly requested that the agencies investigate the allegations and establish the facts.
The controversy has also placed renewed attention on SEMA’s handling of relief materials.
In March 2026, the agency said it remained committed to the transparent distribution of relief items to internally displaced persons and people affected by emergencies.
TSEMA said more than 50,000 victims had benefited from its interventions and maintained that its operations were focused on accountability and effective service delivery.
The agency’s official website identifies Audu as its Executive Secretary and lists the distribution of relief items, including rice, maize and vegetable oil, among its interventions.
The financial records have therefore raised separate questions from the earlier allegations concerning relief materials, particularly the ₦12.19 million LPRES transaction, the ₦49.44 million in listed inflows and the ₦44 million payments to Nizamiye Hospital.
SaharaReporters said it contacted Audu for her response to the latest allegations, but she did not answer calls or respond to a message sent to her before the report was published.
