The trial of former Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu, over the alleged misappropriation of N5.78 billion in public funds continued on Wednesday before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin.
At the resumed hearing, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented its second witness, Dr. Musa Oladimeji Dasuki, a retired Permanent Secretary at the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), who served between 2011 and 2020.
Led in evidence by EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Dasuki told the court that the Kwara State Government, under Ahmed’s leadership, had requested UBEC funds for the years 2013 and 2014 to pay teachers’ salaries.
According to him, the then Finance Commissioner, Banu, initially made an oral request for the release of the 2013 UBEC Matching Grant, but SUBEB insisted on a written request. A letter was subsequently submitted, conveying Governor Ahmed’s approval, leading to the transfer of funds to the state government’s account domiciled at Skye Bank Plc.
Dasuki explained that SUBEB initially resisted the move, as the funds were designated for critical educational projects, but eventually approved the release after Banu assured them that the money would be repaid once the state received its allocation from Abuja. However, he said, the funds were never refunded.
“The 2013 action plan submitted to UBEC earmarked the funds for the construction of 40 standard classroom blocks, 40 VIP toilets, and ICT centers in primary and junior secondary schools across Kwara’s 16 Local Government Areas. However, many of these projects could not be executed because the funds were diverted” Dasuki testified.
He further revealed that many contractors engaged for the projects protested due to non-payment for completed work.
During cross-examination, Jimoh Mumini (SAN), counsel to Ahmed, questioned Dasuki on whether the former governor and finance commissioner were members of SUBEB, to which he confirmed they were not.
Following the proceedings, Justice Abdulghafar adjourned the matter to Thursday, March 13, 2025.
The case remains one of the high-profile corruption trials in Kwara State, with the EFCC determined to establish its claims of financial mismanagement during Ahmed’s administration.
