The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday re-arraigned former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his erstwhile Finance Commissioner Demola Banu at a Kwara State High Court for allegedly diverting N3 billion meant for the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for other purposes.
Earlier in the year, the anti-graft agency had arraigned the duo at a Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, over the same allegation.
Ahmed and Banu are facing a-15 count charge.
Read Also:
A count in the charge reads: “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 January 14, 2015 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did illegally spend N1,000,000,000.00 to pay the 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.”
When the case was called yesterday, the duo pleaded not guilty.
In his ruling, Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar granted the accused persons N100 million bail each and fixed December 3 for the commencement of the trial.
