The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has brought charges against the former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfattah Ahmed, alleging involvement in a N10 billion fraud case.
Ahmed faced arraignment at the Federal High Court in Ilorin, the state capital, on Friday, facing a 12-count charge related to fraud.
Journalists were denied access to the courtroom, barring coverage of the former governor’s arraignment.
The anti-graft agency accused Ahmed of misappropriating N1.6 billion, earmarked for state security and operational expenses, to hire private jets during his tenure.
Among the charges, the EFCC alleged that Ahmed diverted N400 million from a N1 billion short-term loan secured by the Kwara State Government from Ecobank Nigeria Limited to fund ongoing projects in the state.
According to the EFCC, “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, 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.”
Ahmed served as Kwara governor from 2011 to 2019 before transferring power to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
Wahab Oba, Chief Press Secretary to Ahmed, expressed concern over the secrecy surrounding the trial, describing it as a politically motivated prosecution.
He said: “The former governor Dr. Ahmed is supposed to be arraigned by the EFCC so we are here to witness the commencement of the trial. Ordinarily, the court is an open place, our concern is that the trial should be transparent and open. We cannot understand why the police have denied especially journalists from covering the event.”
