PURPORTED N5.78BN FRAUD: EFCC INTRODUCES ADDITIONAL WITNESSES AGAINST EX -KWARA GOV. AHMED
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BY JENN NOMAMIUKOR
At the recommenced hearing on Tuesday, the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, introduced additional witnesses to substantiate a case of purported N5.78 billion concerning the former Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his previous Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu.
The sixth prosecution witness, Suleiman Oluwadare Ishola, who served as the Accountant-General of the State between 2013 – 2019, told Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin that the vouchers to borrow N1 billion were raised by SUBEB officials.
Suleiman stated in his testimony on Friday, April 11, 2025, during the most recent court session, that the amount of N1 billion, which was a matching grant from UBEC, was acquired through a loan by the Abdulfatah administration in 2015 to disburse salaries to civil servants and pensioners.
Ishola asserted that neither of the defendants sanctioned the vouchers nor obtained any direct disbursements from the borrowed resources.
His testimony corroborated the earlier testimony by Barrister Lanre Daibu, former SUBEB Chairman, who also confirmed receiving formal approval from the state government to access the UBEC matching grant for salary payments.
Following cross-examination by defence counsels Jimoh A. Mumini (SAN) and Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), representing Ahmed and Banu respectively, Ishola was discharged from the witness box.
The prosecution subsequently summoned its seventh witness (PW7), Stanley Ujilibo, an Assistant Commander of the EFCC, who was a member of the investigative team.
Led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Ujilibo narrated the sequence of events leading to the defendants’ prosecution. He told the court that the EFCC received a petition dated April 17, 2024, signed by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Kwara State, Akande Idowu Ayoola, on behalf of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. The petition alleged diversion of UBEC funds allocated for educational infrastructure across the state’s 16 local government areas.
To aid the investigation, the witness said that the EFCC wrote to UBEC requesting relevant documents and nominated personnel.
In reply, Hassan Abubakar, an Assistant Director at UBEC, presented strategic plans for the 2013–2015 financial years, outlining the names of contractors and the expenses associated with the projects.
Ujilibo explained that states are required to pay a 50% counterpart contribution to access UBEC matching grants, and that project proposals must be defended before a UBEC committee before release of funds.
He added that the EFCC invited several key officials, including Lanre Daibu, SUBEB Director of Physical Planning, Engr. Abdulsalam Olarewaju, former SUBEB Permanent Secretary Dr. Musa Dasuki, Accountant-General Ishola, and the then Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Benjamin Fatigun, all of whom made voluntary statements.
The witness said the EFCC also obtained financial records from Polaris Bank and Guaranty Trust Bank, which handled SUBEB accounts, to trace the flow and application of UBEC funds.
Ujilibo testified that both defendants were invited and they volunteered statements in the presence of their lawyers, without any form of coercion. The court admitted their extra-judicial statements as exhibits, as there was no objection from the defence.
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