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Ex-Kwara Governor, Abdulfatai Faces Trial Over Alleged Misuse Of N1.6b On Chartered Jets

Published

10 months ago

Feb 23, 2024.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will today arraign former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for allegedly blowing N1.6billion on chartered jets.

He is also accused of alleged mismanagement of security votes.

Ahmed is charged along with a former Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Ademola Banu, who served with him.

EFCC Headquarter

They will tried at the Federal High Court in Ilorin, being the jurisdiction where the alleged offences were committed.

The two are to account for the alleged conversion of N400million short-term loan of N1 billion obtained by the Kwara State Government from Ecobank Nigeria Limited.

Some of the charges read: “That you, Abdulfatah Ahmed (while being the Governor of Kwara State) between 2015 and 2019 in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court used an aggregate sum of N1,610,730,500.00 property of Kwara State Government, meant for the security and running cost of the Government of Kwara State to charter private jets through Travel Messengers Limited on different occasions for your local travels and which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: Criminal Breach of Trust or Theft and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(a) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act, 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

“That you, Abdulfatah Ahmed (while being the Governor of Kwara State) and Ademola Banu (while being the Commissioner of Finance of Kwara State) sometime in 2019, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court indirectly converted the sum of N400,000,000.00 out of the N1billion short-term loan obtained by the Kwara State Government from Ecobank Nigeria Limited for the purpose of completing some projects and which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful Act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/theft and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act, 2011 (As Amended) and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

It was learnt that security has been beefed up in Ilorin ahead of the arraignments following a protest by some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members on Wednesday.