Witness testifies in N5.78 Billion fraud trial of Ex-Kwara Governor, Finance Commissioner
By Mahmood Olayinka Alaya
A witness in the ongoing N5.78 billion fraud trial of former Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his former Finance Commissioner, Mr. Ademola Banu, on Thursday testified before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
Barrister Lanre Daibu, a former Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), told the court that Mr. Banu directed the release of N1 billion from the 2013 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Matching Grant fund.
According to Daibu, the funds were diverted in January 2015 for the payment of teachers’ salaries and pensions.
While being led in evidence by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Daibu explained that Banu contacted him by phone to request the funds on behalf of the State Government.
The board, he said, insisted that such a request must be made in writing for accountability.
“I later called Mr. Banu and asked him to submit a formal request,” Daibu stated, adding that the board wanted a written commitment from the government on when the loan would be repaid.
He said a letter, signed on behalf of Mr. Banu, was subsequently sent to the board, promising repayment within one or two months, but the loan was never refunded, and the board was eventually dissolved before the repayment could be made.
Under further questioning from the EFCC counsel, Daibu confirmed that Exhibit 4, a letter from the Ministry of Finance, indicated that the then Governor approved the loan.
“I was reluctant to approve the request because I knew that the State Government had no authority to borrow or spend UBEC Matching Grant funds, which were strictly meant for the purposes outlined in the Action Plan,” Daibu testified.
He also noted that he did not complete his tenure as SUBEB Chairman due to the board’s dissolution, and that the N1 billion loan remained unpaid during his time in office.
During cross-examination by the defence counsels, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN (1st defendant) and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN (2nd defendant), Daibu clarified that the SUBEB account was operated by the Permanent Secretary and the Director of Administration and Human Resources, emphasising that neither the first nor the second defendants were signatories to the account.
Following Daibu’s testimony, the fifth prosecution witness, Benjamin Sehinde Fatigun, a retired Permanent Secretary of the Kwara State Ministry of Finance, took the stand and confirmed that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed approved the borrowing of N1 billion from SUBEB to the State Government to augment salary payments for civil servants and retirees.
“I received the approval from the Honourable Commissioner for Finance, who is the second defendant, and the funds were subsequently transferred to the State’s salary account,” he said.
Under cross-examination, Fatigun told the court that the State Government had written a letter to the Governor explaining its difficulty in meeting salary obligations.
“My Lord, a letter from the Ministry of Finance informed the Governor of the salary challenge, and it was suggested that SUBEB funds be used as a temporary measure. I detailed this process in the statements I provided to the EFCC,” he added.
The case was adjourned until tomorrow for further hearing.
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