Crime
Alleged N5.78b Fraud: Ex-Kwara Gov, Ahmed Diverted UBEC Funds-Witness
The First Prosecution Witness (PW1), Abubakar Hassan in the trial of former governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu on Monday, February 17, 2025, told Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the State High Court, sitting in Ilorin that the first defendant diverted to personal use, funds earmarked for Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) projects in the state.
The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is prosecuting both defendants on a 12-count charge of mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N5.78 billion.
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The witness, an Assistant Director of Finance in UBEC, while being led in evidence by prosecution, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, disclosed that a total of 51 UBEC projects approved under the 2013 Action Plan were abandoned under former Governor Ahmed due to a lack of funds. The projects, discovered by the UBEC Project Monitoring Committee in the state were abandoned despite UBEC’s approval for citing them in state and funds for their execution, released. According to the witness, the state government under the leadership of the defendant mismanaged the funds.
“My lord, the Projects Monitoring
Committee conducted investigations and found that many projects were either unexecuted or abandoned. We wrote to the then Kwara State governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, in May 2018 to address these issues. The projects were categorized into three: Early Care Education, Primary School Education, and Junior Secondary School Education, but we received no response,” he said.
He further explained that the abandoned projects were scattered all through the 16 Local Government Areas of the state and further revealed that on January 6, 2015, the sum N1 billion had to be loaned from the 2013 UBEC Matching Grant Account with Skye Bank Plc to pay staff salaries and pensions.
Addressing the utilization of the 2014 and 2015 State Counterpart Funds, he stated that the Kwara SUBEB illegally withdrew the sum of N1,829,054,054.06
(One Billion, Eight Hundred and Twenty-nine Million, Fifty-four Thousand, Fifty-four, Six Kobo) from funds lodged on February 18, 2016, stating that the withdrawn funds qualified the state to access the Federal Government’s UBE Matching Grants.
“State Matching Grants are not permitted to be borrowed or utilized for any purpose outside the approved action plan. The objectives of UBEC were undermined due to these infractions and the failure to implement the Action Plan,” he said.
Worried by the diversion of the funds, the witness disclosed that UBEC also had to send a letter of invitation to the state government, requesting a documentary evidence on Kwara State Government’s use of UBEC funds. Attached to the invite were
documents showing the lodgment of funds from UBEC to the Kwara SUBEB.
Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the matter until February 18, 2025, for cross-examination of the witness.
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo has condemned in strong terms the setting ablaze of some suspected kidnappers by residents of a community in Uromi, East North East Local Government Area.
Describing the act as barbaric and condemn-able, the Governor represented by the Chief Security Officer (CSO), Government House, SP Solomon Osaghale, vowed to ensure that the perpetuators are brought to justice and made to face the full wrath of the law.
He stressed that such a barbaric act is strange in our climes and will not be tolerated in the State.
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SP Osaghale said he was in Uromi at the instance of the Governor to ascertain the level of damage done and to ensure that prompt and full investigation was carried out to ensure justice so as to forestall a reoccurrence.
He revealed that investigations have shown that the people who were killed had boarded a commercial truck and was stopped by members of local security who upon searching of the vehicle, discovered some guns, a situation that led to the mob attack by persons around the vicinity.
While condemning the act, he restated that nobody had the right to take another man’s life, stressing that the nature of the barbaric killing was a cause of concern to the Governor.
SP Oseghale said, “His Excellency, the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo on getting the news of this incident, directed me to immediately come here and find out what transpired as the news of what happened here is a sign of worry to our Governor whose desire is to create a prosperous State void of dastardly acts like this.
“I can assure you that the people involved in this unprovoked attacked will not go scot -free, as His Excellency has directed the Commissioner of Police to launch a full scale investigation into the matter. As I speak now, over four persons have been arrested for their involvement in this ugly incidence.”
The CSO called for calm, while assuring the law abiding residents of Uromi, especially the Hausa Community in the area to go about their daily activities, as men of the Nigerian police force and other security agencies have been deployed to restore peace and normalcy to the place.
Appreciating the Governor for his swift response, the leader of the Hausa Community in Uromi, Mal Aliyu Haruna, thanked Governor Okpebholo for deploying the CSO and other security personnel to the community.
Haruna acknowledged that their presence has brought calm and reassurance to the Hausa Community in the area, as there was palpable fear and unease in their camp following the unfortunate incidence which he noted has never happened before in the local government.
“We want to sincerely thank the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo for his swift response to the occurrence of this ugly incidence. I must tell you that this is the first time a thing like this is happening in Uromi and it baffles me because, Uromi people have been so accommodating to us in the Hausa Community.
“Over the years, we have lived peacefully among the indigenes. Our sojourn in this land has spanned over seventy years. I was given birth to here, and so are many other people you are seeing here today,” Haruna said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared prominent businesswoman and socialite, Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, wanted over an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
In a public notice released on Friday via the agency’s official X handle, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale called on Nigerians to provide any useful information regarding Achimugu’s whereabouts.
“The public is hereby notified that Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of criminal conspiracy and money laundering,” the statement read.
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Achimugu, 51, hails from Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, with her last known address listed as 6C, Rudolf Close, Maitama, Abuja.
The EFCC urged anyone with relevant information to contact its offices across the country or report to the nearest police station or security agency.
The declaration follows Achimugu’s failure to honor an invitation by the anti-graft agency regarding an ongoing investigation into money laundering and a high-profile investment scam.
According to PUNCH Online, the EFCC had summoned her to appear at its Port Harcourt office on March 5, 2025, for questioning.
The summons, dated March 4, was signed by the agency’s acting zonal director in Port Harcourt, Adebayo Adeniyi, and delivered to her Abuja residence.
“This commission is currently investigating a case in which the need to obtain certain clarification from you becomes imperative. In view of the above, you are kindly requested to attend an interview with the undersigned through the Head of Investigation on Wednesday, 5th March 2025, by 10:00 hours prompt,” the letter stated.
However, rather than appearing before the EFCC, Achimugu reportedly left Nigeria on March 6. Her sudden departure prompted the agency to secure a warrant for her arrest before officially declaring her wanted.
The EFCC has urged members of the public with any information about her location to come forward, assuring that all details provided would be treated with confidentiality.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, March 24, 2025 busted a Ponzi Scheme Academy and arrested 133 suspects in Abuja.
They were arrested at the Compensation Layout in Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, following actionable intelligence on the existence of the Academy.
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The Academy, named Q University (a.k.a Q-Net) is in the business of recruiting gullible young Nigerians who are trained to recruit more gullible citizens into the scheme with the promise of getting unrealistic profit returns.
The suspects are enrolled into a training codenamed: “Special Training for New Generation Billionaire” and brainwashed to believe that they would graduate into the league of billionaires.
It was gathered that got into the training by obtaining a form the promoters called “Independent Representative Application Form” with promotional slogans such as: “I’m a Champion” “I’m Unstoppable”, “I’m Infinity”, among others.
The EFCC carried out the operation in collaboration with officers and men of 176 Guards Battalion, Nigerian Army.
Items recovered from the suspects include phones, computers and other electronic gadgets.
They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
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