By Abiola Olawale
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, initiated a fresh 14-count charge against a former Kwara State governor, Abdulfattah Ahmed, and a former Commissioner of Finance, Mr Ademola Banu.
Ahmed served as Commissioner for Finance under the administration of Bukola Saraki as governor. Indeed, Saraki was instrumental to Ahmed’s emergence as his successor in office.
In the new charges, the EFCC accused Ahmed and Banu of an alleged involvement in a N5.78 billion fraud.
The duo have also been arraigned before a Kwara State High Court presided by Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar.
The duo were charged with alleged diversion and misappropriation of public funds meant for the execution of some projects and security of the state.
The fresh re-arraignment of the former governor and his finance commissioner followed the withdrawal of the case last week Wednesday from the Federal High Court, Ilorin where they were formerly standing trial by the EFCC sequel to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin to another division.
It would be recalled that Ahmed and Banu were first arraigned on a 12-count charge of mismanagement of public funds before Justice Anyadike on April 29, 2024, to which they pleaded not guilty.
However, the presiding judge was transferred in the course of the trial.
Meanwhile, the count one of the new charges read: “That you, ABDULFATAH AHMED (while being the Governor of Kwara State) and ADEMOLA BANU (while being the Commissioner of Finance of Kwara State), on or about 14 January 2015 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did illegally spend the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) to pay Salaries of civil servants in Kwara State which sum was originally domiciled in the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Matching Grant account and which sum formed part of the funds allocated for the execution of the projects stated in the action plan for the year 2013 and approved by the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 22(5) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section.”
“That you, ABDULFATAH AHMED (while being the Governor of Kwara State) and ADEMOLA BANU (while being the Commissioner of Finance of Kwara State), between 25th July 2016 and 7th September 2016 in Ilorin, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, in such capacity having dominion over certain property, to wit; the sum of N990,545,883.64 (Nine Hundred and Ninety Million, Five Hundred and Forty-Five Thousand, Eighty Hundred and Eighty-Three Naira and Sixty-Four Kobo), committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said sum when you dishonestly transferred the said sum from the Kwara SUBEB Matching Grant account into Polaris Bank for the repayment of loan facilities granted to the Kwara State Government by the said bank contrary to the direction of the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act, 2004, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 315 of the Criminal Code and punishable under the same section.”
When the case was called on Monday, counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court, that a 14-count charge dated October 15, 2024, was prepared and filed on the same date.
“We urge your Lordship to accept the charge and allow it to be read to the defendants.”
Responding, the lead counsel to the first and second defendants, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, did not object to the application.
Therefore, Justice Abdulgafar granted the application and ordered that the charge be read to the defendants.
The duo pleaded not guilty to all their respective charge when it was read to them.
Thereafter, the defence counsels through a separate application on behalf of their clients, sought the leave of the court to move oral applications for the bail of the defendants.
Ruling on the applications, Justice Abdulgafar admitted the former governor (Abdulfatah) and his former Commissioner of Finance, Banu, to bail in the sum of N100 million with two surety each. One of the surety must be a serving or retired permanent secretary in the state.
The case was adjourned till December 4 and 5, 2024, for further hearing.
It would be recalled that Ahmed was governor of the North Central state between May 2011 and May 2019 before he handed over to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. He was Commissioner for Finance under the Administration of Bukola Saraki as governor of Kwara State.
He was once quizzed in May 2021 by a crack team of operatives at the EFCC headquarters in the Jabi area of Abuja, the nation’s capital, in connection with the alleged diversion of funds to the tune of about N9 billion from the coffers of the Kwara State Government.
