The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed 14 fresh charges against the former Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfattah Ahmed, and the former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu. These charges, totaling ₦5.78 billion, were presented before a Kwara State High Court on Monday.
The charges include allegations of diversion and misappropriation of public funds meant for various projects and security in the state. The re-arraignment follows the withdrawal of the case from the Federal High Court, Ilorin, due to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike, to another division.
Ahmed and Banu were initially arraigned on a 12-count charge of mismanagement of public funds before Justice Anyadike on April 29, 2024, to which they pleaded not guilty. The new charges include accusations such as spending funds meant for the security administration of the state to charter private jets and stealing money intended for the salaries of teachers working with the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board.
One of the counts alleges that Ahmed and Banu illegally spent ₦1 billion to pay salaries of civil servants in Kwara State, which sum was originally meant for the execution of projects approved by the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC). Another count accuses them of dishonestly transferring ₦990,545,883.64 from the Kwara SUBEB Matching Grant account into Polaris Bank for the repayment of loan facilities granted to the Kwara State Government.
When the case was called on Monday, the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), urged the court to accept the new charges and allow them to be read to the defendants. The defence counsel, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN) and Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), did not object to the application. Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar granted the application, and the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
