The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has presented additional witnesses in the ongoing trial of Abdulfatah Ahmed, Kwara’s former Governor, and Ademola Banu, his former Commissioner for Finance, in connection with an alleged fraud of ₦5.78 billion belonging to the state’s Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC).
The commission alleged that the fund, which was intended to support basic education projects, was diverted to cover recurrent expenditures, thereby contravening the UBEC grant scheme. In his testimony, Oluwadare Ishola, the state’s former accountant-general, stated that officials from the state’s UBEC raised vouchers to borrow ₦1 billion. He added that, although the fund was borrowed for salary and pension payments, the defendants did not authorise the vouchers or receive direct payments from it.
