The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, October 21, 2024, re-arraigned the immediate past governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, alongside his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu, on a 14-count amended charge. The charges involve allegations of stealing and mismanagement of public funds amounting to N5.78 billion. The case was heard before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin.
According to Dele Oyewale, EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, the re-arraignment followed the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike, to another division of the Federal High Court in Ilorin. The defendants were initially arraigned on a 12-count charge on April 29, 2024, to which they pleaded not guilty. Due to the transfer of the presiding judge, the case had to start anew.
The former governor and his finance commissioner are accused of conspiring to misappropriate funds allocated for salaries, security, and infrastructural development in the state. Among other charges, Ahmed is accused of spending N1.61 billion meant for state administration and security to charter private jets through Travel Messengers Limited, in violation of Section 22(5) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
One of the charges specifically implicates Ahmed for failing to fill out an assets declaration form upon his arrest, contrary to Section 27(3)(c) of the EFCC Act No. 1 of 2004. Another charge alleges that both Ahmed and Banu illegally spent N1 billion originally domiciled in the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Matching Grant account to pay civil servants' salaries, a sum meant for the execution of projects approved by the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC).
In another charge, both men are accused of committing a criminal breach of trust by transferring N990.5 million from the Kwara SUBEB Matching Grant account to Polaris Bank to repay loans, contrary to the Free Universal Basic Education Act, 2004.
At the court hearing, the EFCC's counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, urged the court to accept the 14-count charge and allow it to be read to the defendants. The defendants' lead counsel, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, did not oppose the application, and the charges were subsequently read, to which both defendants pleaded not guilty.
The defense applied for bail, arguing that the defendants had been cooperative with the EFCC since the case commenced in 2019 and had not violated their previous administrative bail conditions. Justice Abdulgafar granted bail to Ahmed and Banu, setting the bail at N100 million each, with two sureties, one of whom must be a serving or retired permanent secretary.
The trial is scheduled to commence on December 4–5, 2024.
