The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday called a witness, Abubakar Hassan, to testify in the trial of the immediate past Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
Ahmed and his then Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, are currently standing trial for the alleged theft and mismanagement of Kwara State funds.
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Among other things, the duo were accused of conspiring to steal money meant for the payment of teachers’ salaries working with the State Universal Basic Education Board.
EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this in a statement, saying the trial has resumed.
He said the former governor and his commissioner were, however, arraigned in October 2024, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“The Matching Grant Funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission are meant to provide certain infrastructural facilities for both students of primary and junior secondary schools. Such facilities include the construction of buildings for primary schools, provision of laboratories for students, construction of toilets, provision of water and sanitation, and cultural education,” the statement read.
“The commission made lodgment for 2013, 2014 and 2015. Kwara State got a Matching Grant of about N2 billion in 2013, N876 million was released in 2014, and they got N982 million in 2015, totalling about N5 billion.
“The implementation of the 2013 Action Plan had already commenced, and contractors were already being mobilised 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 N2 billion was diverted,” Hassan narrated.
After this discovery, the witness said the report of the projects monitoring committee was sent to the Kwara SUBEB, asking them to comply with the recommendations of the committee, but there was no response.
The trial judge, Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, adjourned further hearing on the case till February 17, 2025.
