The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed 14 fresh charges of alleged N5.78 billion fraud against the former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Finance Commissioner, Mr. Ademola Banu, before the Kwara State High Court.
This development comes after the withdrawal of the case from the Federal High Court, Ilorin, following the transfer of the presiding judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike.
The charges relate to the alleged misappropriation and diversion of public funds meant for state projects and security during the defendants’ tenure in office.
The charges, filed on October 15, 2024, accuse the two individuals of conspiring to misappropriate funds intended for public use, including salaries of teachers and infrastructural development.
During the initial arraignment, the former governor and his finance commissioner had been indicted on a 12-count charge, pleading not guilty on April 29, 2024. However, the case had to start afresh following the transfer of the trial judge.
In the fresh charges, Ahmed and Banu are now accused of committing fraud, criminal breach of trust, and failure to comply with the law regarding asset declaration.
A breakdown of the charges highlights how Ahmed allegedly spent a whopping N1.61 billion meant for security and state administration to charter private jets, in violation of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act. He is also accused of unlawfully transferring over N990 million from the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Matching Grant account for loan repayment, contrary to statutory provisions.
In one of the charges, the EFCC alleges that Ahmed, during his tenure as governor, illegally diverted N1 billion from the Kwara SUBEB account, which was originally earmarked for teachers’ salaries and other critical projects.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges after they were read to them in court. Their legal representatives, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, did not object to the filing of the charges but applied for bail on their behalf, citing that both men had been granted administrative bail since 2019, which they had adhered to.
Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar granted bail to both defendants in the sum of N100 million with two sureties each, one of whom must be a serving or retired permanent secretary from the state.
The trial was adjourned to December 4 and 5, 2024, for further hearing.
The case is one of the high-profile cases in Kwara State, reflecting the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to tackle corruption and hold public officials accountable for mismanagement of state funds.