“We Have Unravelled The Identity” — NBA Owerri Member Alleges ₦12m Catering Payment Was Transferred To Former Chair Udegbulem Through POS Operator

A member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Owerri Branch, Chinedu Agu, has raised fresh allegations concerning the movement of ₦12 million paid from the Branch’s account for catering services during the 2026 Annual General Conference, claiming that the money was subsequently transferred to an account bearing the name of the Branch’s former Chairman, Prof. Mazi Udegbulem.

In a statement dated November 11, 2026, at 9:00 p.m., Agu identified the alleged recipient of the initial payment as Chiemeka Eleberi, whom he described as a former Point of Sale (POS) attendant at Imo State University and a person known to the former Chairman.

Agu claimed that the ₦12 million was transferred from the NBA Owerri Branch account to Eleberi on August 24, 2026, before being transferred in three instalments of ₦5 million, ₦5 million and ₦2 million to an account bearing the name Vitus Mazi Udegbulem.

He attached three Moniepoint transfer receipts, which he presented as evidence of the alleged movement of the funds.

The allegations followed findings contained on pages 12 and 13 of the Report of the Presidential Committee, which examined the payment made for catering services provided to members of the NBA Owerri Branch during the Annual General Conference.

According to the portion of the committee’s report reproduced by Agu, the committee had sought clarification from the then Branch Chairman, Dr. Mazi Udegbulem, regarding the ₦12 million payment.

The report stated that Udegbulem responded through WhatsApp on October 27, 2026, explaining that the money was paid to the caterer responsible for providing meals to Branch members on August 24 and 25, 2026.

“The ₦12m was paid to the caterer that cooked for us on the 24th and 25th. We first advanced the sum of ₦4m and then ₦12m. The account bearing Chiemeka Eleberi is an account given by the caterer,” Udegbulem was quoted as explaining.

However, the committee’s reported findings raised questions about that explanation.

According to the passage reproduced by Agu, the committee subsequently contacted Adeglory Food Empire, identified in the AGC Logistics Committee’s Report as the catering vendor responsible for meals provided to Branch members on August 24 and 25, 2026.

The vendor reportedly denied knowing Chiemeka Eleberi or authorising her to receive payment on the vendor’s behalf.

“The Committee subsequently contacted Adeglory Food Empire, identified in the AGC Logistics Committee’s Report as the catering vendor responsible for meals provided to Branch members on 24 and 25 August 2026. The vendor stated that she did not know Chiemeka Eleberi and she had not identified that account holder as a person authorised to receive payment on her behalf,” the report stated.

NBA Owerri Member Alleges ₦12m Catering Payment Was Transferred To Former Chair Udegbulem Through POS Operator

Building on the committee’s findings, Agu claimed that he had obtained additional information concerning Eleberi’s identity and her alleged dealings with the former Branch Chairman.

“Today, we have unravelled the identity of the said Chiemeka and her dealings with our former Chairman, Prof. Mazi Udegbulem,” Agu declared.

According to him, Eleberi previously worked as a POS attendant at Imo State University, where Prof. Udegbulem was allegedly one of her regular customers.

Agu alleged that sometime in August 2026, the former Chairman informed Eleberi that “a certain huge amount of money would drop in her POS account.”

He claimed that the anticipated payment was subsequently made on August 24, 2026, when ₦12 million was transferred from the NBA Owerri Branch account to Eleberi.

According to Agu, the transaction was initially flagged by Moniepoint, which allegedly placed a restriction on the funds for several hours before lifting it.

He further alleged that following the removal of the restriction, Eleberi obtained the former Chairman’s account details and began transferring the money to him.

Agu claimed that the funds were transferred in three instalments because Eleberi’s daily transfer limit was ₦5 million.

The first transaction, according to one of the Moniepoint receipts attached to his statement, was made on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at 3:07 p.m.

The receipt recorded a successful transfer of ₦5 million from Chiemeka Eleberi to an account bearing the name Vitus Mazi Udegbulem at Diamond Bank.

A second receipt showed another successful transfer of ₦5 million from Eleberi to the same named beneficiary on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 4:45 a.m.

The third receipt recorded a transfer of ₦2 million on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 7:35 a.m., also to Vitus Mazi Udegbulem.

All three receipts were marked “Debit,” identified the transaction type as “Transfer,” and recorded their status as “Successful.”

The receipts identified Chiemeka Eleberi as the sender and Vitus Mazi Udegbulem as the beneficiary.

The three transactions totalled ₦12 million, corresponding to the amount Agu alleged had initially been paid from the NBA Owerri Branch account for catering services.

However, the receipts described in Agu’s statement document the three outgoing transfers from Eleberi’s account. They do not independently establish the alleged initial payment of ₦12 million into her account on August 24, 2026, or the purpose for which the subsequent transfers were made.

Agu’s allegations therefore raise questions concerning the relationship between the disputed catering payment, the account identified by the former Chairman as belonging to a person nominated by the caterer, and the subsequent transfers to the account bearing the name Vitus Mazi Udegbulem.

The controversy is particularly notable because the catering vendor, Adeglory Food Empire, reportedly informed the Presidential Committee that it neither knew Eleberi nor authorised her to receive money on its behalf.

That account appears to contradict the explanation attributed to the former Branch Chairman in his October 27, 2026, WhatsApp response to the committee.

While Agu has presented the three transfer receipts in support of his allegations, the material provided does not establish whether the funds were ultimately used for catering, whether the transactions had another explanation, or whether any financial misconduct occurred.

The former Chairman’s response to these latest allegations was not included in the material provided.

The statement, signed by Chinedu Agu on November 11, 2026, has consequently brought renewed attention to the ₦12 million catering payment and the questions raised in the Presidential Committee’s report concerning the identity of the account holder and the actual recipient of the funds.

The allegations remain those of Agu, while the committee’s reported findings and the three transfer receipts form the basis of the questions now surrounding the payment.

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