Crime
Ex-Kwara Gov, Finance Commissioner On Trial For Diverting N5.78bn Education Fund
The Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, on Wednesday, commenced the trial of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu.
The duo are accused of conspiring to misappropriate public funds totaling N5.78 billion during Ahmed’s tenure.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through its Ilorin Zonal Directorate, charged the defendants with diverting funds earmarked for teachers’ salaries under the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC), as well as funds meant for critical infrastructure and security projects in the state.
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Both Ahmed and Banu, who were arraigned on October 21, 2024, pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.
At the resumed hearing, the EFCC’s first witness, Abubakar Hassan, an assistant director of finance at UBEC, provided testimony implicating the defendants.
Hassan alleged that approximately N5 billion allocated to Kwara State for educational infrastructure projects between 2013 and 2015 was misappropriated.
Testifying under the guidance of EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Hassan stated, “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.”
Hassan added that UBEC’s mission is to ensure no Nigerian child is denied basic education, which spans primary to junior secondary school.
Explaining the process for accessing UBEC grants, he said,“UBEC law provides that the Chairman of the 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.”
He further explained that the state must submit and defend an action plan before receiving the grants.
Hassan testified that Kwara State received N2 billion in 2013, N876 million in 2014, and N982 million in 2015 as matching grants. However, he alleged the 2013 funds were diverted despite the commencement of project implementation.
“Contractors were mobilized to work on-site, but during our project monitoring exercise, we discovered that the monies meant for the 2013 project had been diverted by the Kwara SUBEB. About N2 billion was diverted,” he told the court.
Hassan revealed that UBEC had sent a report to the Kwara SUBEB recommending corrective actions, but no response was received.
Consequently, the EFCC intervened, writing to banks to return the unused 2014 and 2015 funds. He further disclosed that UBEC halted activities in Kwara State from 2016 to 2018 due to the state’s failure to address the diverted funds.
Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the case to February 17, 2025, for further hearing.
In a statement, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale described the witness testimony as pivotal in uncovering the alleged misuse of public funds.
The U.S. court has sentenced two Nigerian nationals, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, to up to 20 years in prison for masterminding a $560,000 romance scam that defrauded a victim in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez and FBI Albuquerque Field Office Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda announced the convictions after a federal jury found both men guilty following a four-day trial.
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The federal jury took less than three hours to deliberate before finding the pair guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed that Ogunlaja and Daramola, along with other accomplices, initiated the scheme in January 2016 by creating a fake identity, “Glenn Brown,” on the dating website eHarmony.com.
Using this fabricated persona, they developed a romantic relationship with the victim and manipulated them into transferring large sums of money.
“Throughout the fraud, the victim was led to believe that their financial assistance was necessary for ‘Glenn Brown’ to complete a purported construction project in Malaysia and return safely to the United States,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
Between January 2016 and April 2017, the victim sent approximately $560,000 to accounts in the United States, Canada, and Malaysia. On September 27, 2016, the victim wired $28,000 to an account in the name of “Daramola Cars” at Woodforest Bank.
Court documents showed that Daramola transferred $18,000 of these funds to a seafood importer in Denmark and issued a $14,000 check.
Daramola denied involvement in the scam, but evidence obtained from text and WhatsApp messages on his phone revealed his role in supplying bank accounts used to launder fraudulent funds.
Ogunlaja’s involvement was similarly uncovered, with prosecutors presenting evidence that his Bank of America account was used to receive funds from the victim.
According to the FBI, “Glenn Brown” instructed the victim to deposit $20,000 in cash into Ogunlaja’s account on two occasions in March 2016. Ogunlaja then withdrew the funds and transferred them to Daramola’s account.
“This case demonstrates the lengths fraudsters will go to exploit the vulnerable,” said Special Agent Raul Bujanda. “We will continue to pursue justice for victims of financial crimes.”
The Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has assumed jurisdiction to hear allegations of corruption and fraudulent practices against the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
The charges, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), include claims of gratification, corrupt demands, and receiving property fraudulently obtained.
Delivering his ruling on Wednesday, Justice Rahman Oshodi declared that the court has territorial jurisdiction to entertain counts 8 to 20 of the 26-count charge filed against Emefiele.
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According to the judge, the EFCC successfully demonstrated that the court is competent to handle these counts based on evidence provided.
“The prosecution has established a sufficient territorial nexus to compel Emefiele to answer the charges,” Justice Oshodi ruled.
However, the court struck out counts 1 to 4 of the charges, agreeing with Emefiele’s lawyers that these counts were unconstitutional as they were not based on any existing laws in Nigeria.
The dismissed charges related to allegations of abuse of office and allocation of foreign exchange without bidding.
“While counts 1 to 4 relate to the general offence of abuse of office as defined by criminal law, the specific conduct alleged in those counts is not defined as an offence in any written law,” Justice Oshodi explained.
Emefiele was arraigned on April 8, 2024, on a 26-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office, irregular allocation of $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion, and conferring corrupt advantage.
The charges include violations of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 and the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
Justice Oshodi clarified that his ruling on jurisdiction does not address the merits of the allegations but focuses on whether the court has the authority to hear the case.
“This finding is limited solely to the jurisdictional objection and does not address the merits of the allegations,” he stated.
The court adjourned the case to February 24 and 26, 2025, for the continuation of the trial.
The Delta State Police Command has confirmed the detention of an 18-year-old, Oghenetejiri Kosini, for allegedly molesting his landlady’s two-year-old daughter in Okpe Local Government Area.
The incident, which occurred on December 12, 2024, reportedly took place while the child’s mother, who owns the compound, was outside.
The suspect allegedly sneaked into the house to perpetrate the act.
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Kosini was arrested and detained, but his release on Christmas Eve without charges has sparked outrage.
Delta-based human rights activist, Comrade Israel Joe, raised concerns over the alleged mishandling of the case by the police.
In a Facebook post on Monday, January 6, 2024, Joe accused the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Orerokpe and the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) of attempting to cover up the case.
According to him, the IPO pressured the child’s mother to settle out of court and failed to provide a medical form for evidence collection.
Joe wrote, “Dear DPO Orerokpe, this two-year-old child was allegedly brutally defiled by one eighteen-year-old, Oghenetejiri Kosini, on the 12th of December, 2024. The mother of the child, who is the landlady, was busy outside when the boy allegedly entered the house to carry out this heinous act.
“However, he was arrested and brought to your division, but the IPO ended up begging the woman for settlement, despite her quest for justice for her daughter.
“In a quest to frustrate the investigations, the IPO also allegedly refused to give them a form to go for a medical check-up at the general hospital. The excuse was that the boy admitted to the act in his statement.”
Joe further criticized the reliance on the suspect’s confessional statement without conducting thorough investigations.
“Where on earth would the police condescend to a level of not carrying out proper investigation, holding to the confessional statement alone of a suspect that could be denied in court tomorrow?” he asked.
Joe alleged that Kosini was released on December 24, 2024, without due legal process, despite the victim’s mother obtaining all necessary medical and legal documentation for prosecution.
He called on the police to re-arrest the suspect and transfer the case to the Delta State Command’s Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID) for proper handling.
“I wish to urge the police to, in the interest of justice, re-arrest the said suspect and transfer same to the Delta State Command CIID for investigations and prosecution.
“Na beg I dey, because we all go soon dance naked for market square if justice is not done,” Joe warned, adding that he would release further details soon.
Responding to the allegations, the Delta State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, confirmed on Wednesday that Kosini is currently in custody. “The suspect is in custody, please,” Edafe stated.
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