The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of Mr. Garuba Duku, a retired Director of Finance and Administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), over a ₦318 million fraud.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the ICPC’s Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, Mr. Demola Bakare, the commission confirmed that Duku was sentenced to 24 years in prison by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Presided over by Justice James Omotosho, the court found Duku guilty on a six-count charge bordering on corruption and money laundering, brought against him by the ICPC in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.
According to ICPC investigations, between 2012 and 2013, Duku fraudulently diverted ₦318,250,000 belonging to AMMC into his personal account with Fidelity Bank Plc.
The funds, received in multiple instalments ranging from ₦36.3 million to ₦71 million, were later traced to Bureau de Change operators for unauthorized transactions.
Prosecutors from the ICPC told the court that Duku’s actions violated government financial regulations and represented a gross abuse of public trust.
During the trial, the former director claimed that the funds were handed over to his superiors, but the court dismissed the defence for lack of evidence.
In his judgment, Justice Omotosho ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, describing the evidence presented by the ICPC as “credible, consistent, and sufficient to establish the offences charged.”
Consequently, the judge sentenced Duku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts, with the sentences to run concurrently.
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He was also given the option of paying fines equivalent to five times the amount involved in each count — totaling approximately ₦1.6 billion.
Reacting to the verdict, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare hailed the conviction as a landmark success in the commission’s anti-corruption drive.
“This judgment underscores ICPC’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that public officers who betray the trust reposed in them are brought to justice,” Bakare said. “No one entrusted with public funds is above the law, and this conviction sends a strong message that corruption will not go unpunished.”
He added that the ICPC would continue to pursue all cases of graft with diligence and professionalism to safeguard public resources.