The trial of former Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu, commenced on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.

The duo was alleged misappropriation and conspiracy to steal public funds amounting to N5.78billion.

The charges, filed by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), include allegations of diverting funds meant for teachers’ salaries under the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) and for critical infrastructure and security in the state.

Ahmed and Banu were arraigned on October 21, 2024, but both pleaded not guilty and were granted bail pending trial.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the EFCC presented its first witness, Abubakar Hassan, an assistant director of finance at UBEC.

In a statement released on Wednesday, by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, stated that Hassan provided key testimony linking the accused to the alleged financial misconduct.

While being led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, counsel to the EFCC, Hassan informed the court that the Kwara State Government allegedly misappropriated approximately N5 billion earmarked for projects in primary and junior secondary schools between 2013 and 2015, during Abdulfatah Ahmed’s tenure as governor.

He explained, “The Matching Grant Funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission are intended to provide specific infrastructural facilities for primary and junior secondary school students. These facilities include the construction of school buildings, provision of laboratories, construction of toilets, and the provision of water, sanitation, and cultural education infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, Hassan further stated that the main objective of the UBEC when it was established in 2004 was to ensure that no Nigerian child is denied of basic education. He said basic education started from primary school to junior secondary school.

Stating the procedures for obtaining grants from the Commission, the witness said, “UBEC law provides that the Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board, its Executive Secretary and the Director of Finance are signatories to Matching Grants Accounts. The Matching Grants Account is opened with any commercial bank or the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

However, he added that the state has to prepare action plans (budgets), defend the projects and get approval before it could access grants from UBEC.

“Testifying further, the PW1 stated that the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, prepared and submitted an action plan for 2013. It was defended and approval was given to execute certain contracts in compliance with the action plan.
“The Commission made lodgment for 2013, 2014 and 2015. Kwara State got Matching Grant of about N2billion (Two Billion Naira Only) for 2013, N876million (Eight Hundred and Seventy-Six Million Naira Only) was released for 2014 while they got N982million (Nine Hundred and Eighty-Two Million Naira Only in 2015, totaling about N5billion,” the witness stated.

According to the statement, “Implementation of 2013 Action Plan had already commenced, contractors were already being mobilized to work at the site but surprisingly, during our project monitoring exercise we discovered that the monies meant for the project (2013) had been diverted by the Kwara SUBEB. We discovered that about N2billion was diverted.”

“Following this discovery, the witness said that the report of the projects monitoring committee was sent to the Kwara SUBEB, asking them to comply with recommendations of the committee but there was no response. Hence, the Commission wrote to the banks to return 2014 and 2015 funds paid to the state.”

He said there were no activities for 2016, 2017 and 2018 due to the failure of the state to comply with its earlier recommendations about the diverted funds.

Meanwhile, Justice Abdulgafar adjourned further hearing in the case till February 17, 2025.

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