The trial of former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his ex-Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, began on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
The duo has been accused of misappropriating N5.78 billion, including funds meant for teachers’ salaries and infrastructure projects under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the defendants on October 21, 2024, on charges of conspiracy and theft of public funds. They pleaded not guilty and were granted bail, with the trial commencing before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the EFCC presented its first witness, Abubakar Hassan, an Assistant Director of Finance at UBEC. Testifying before the court, Hassan stated that the funds, known as Matching Grants, were meant for projects at primary and junior secondary schools between 2013 and 2015, when Ahmed was governor.
“The Matching Grant Funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission are intended to provide facilities such as classrooms, laboratories, toilets, water, and sanitation to enhance basic education. The main objective of UBEC, established in 2004, is to ensure that no Nigerian child is denied access to basic education,” Hassan explained.
He further disclosed that Kwara State received a total of about N5 billion across three years: N2 billion in 2013, N876 million in 2014, and N982 million in 2015. However, the commission’s project monitoring revealed that funds for the 2013 projects had been diverted.
“We discovered during our monitoring exercise that funds meant for the 2013 projects were diverted by the Kwara SUBEB. Following this discovery, we sent a report to the board, asking them to comply with the recommendations, but there was no response. As a result, the commission directed banks to return the 2014 and 2015 funds,” Hassan told the court.
He added that no UBEC projects were executed in Kwara State between 2016 and 2018 due to the state’s non-compliance with earlier recommendations.
Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar adjourned the case to February 17, 2025, for further hearing. Abdulfatah Ahmed and Ademola Banu maintain their plea of innocence as the trial continues.
