The trial of former Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu, has begun, with both men facing serious charges of financial misconduct.
They stand accused of misappropriating N5.78 billion meant for essential education projects in Kwara State.
The funds in question were intended for teachers’ salaries under the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC), as well as for critical infrastructure and security projects across the state.
The charges were brought by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
On October 21, 2024, both Ahmed and Banu were arraigned before the Kwara State High Court, where they pleaded not guilty to the charges.
They were granted bail pending trial.
At the resumption of the trial on December 4, 2024, the EFCC presented its first witness, Abubakar Hassan, an assistant director of finance at UBEC.
Hassan’s testimony played a crucial role in linking the accused to the alleged misappropriation.
He provided key details about how the funds were supposed to be used for vital educational infrastructure, including the construction of school buildings, toilets, and the provision of clean water and other essential facilities for primary and junior secondary schools.
“The Matching Grant Funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission are intended to provide specific infrastructural facilities for primary and junior secondary school students,” Hassan testified in court.
He added that the funds were intended to ensure basic education for all Nigerian children, from primary school to junior secondary school, in line with UBEC’s mission.
Hassan explained the procedures for accessing grants from UBEC, stating that specific action plans had to be prepared, projects defended, and grants approved before they could be disbursed.
In this case, he said that Kwara State submitted an action plan for 2013, which was approved.
Following that approval, the state received Matching Grant funds for 2013, 2014, and 2015, totaling about N5 billion.
For 2013 alone, the state was granted N2 billion; for 2014, N876 million; and for 2015, N982 million.
However, Hassan’s testimony revealed that when the UBEC monitoring committee conducted an on-site inspection, it discovered that the money earmarked for educational projects had been diverted.
He stated that approximately N2 billion meant for the 2013 projects had been stolen.
“We discovered that the monies meant for the project had been diverted by the Kwara SUBEB,” Hassan told the court.
He explained that, following the discovery, the UBEC monitoring committee reported the diversion to the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), requesting compliance with recommendations to return the stolen funds.
But Hassan said the SUBEB did not respond to the committee’s recommendations, leading the EFCC to contact the banks to recover the funds for 2014 and 2015.
Despite these efforts, Hassan revealed that no activities took place for the 2016, 2017, and 2018 projects, as the state had failed to address the earlier misappropriation.
This testimony has shocked many, as it exposes how public funds intended for education were allegedly siphoned off during the tenure of Abdulfatah Ahmed as governor.
The scale of the misappropriation has sparked outrage, with many questioning the integrity of the former governor and his administration.
The EFCC’s investigation has sent a clear message that it will not tolerate corruption, particularly when it involves funds meant to improve the educational system.
During the court proceedings, the defense team for Ahmed and Banu maintained that the allegations were untrue.
They argued that their clients had acted within the law and had no part in the alleged diversion of funds.
However, the testimony from Hassan and the mounting evidence of financial mismanagement are likely to challenge this defense as the trial continues.
The trial is expected to continue in the coming months, with Justice Abdulgafar adjourning the case to February 17, 2025.