The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, presented additional witnesses in the ongoing trial of former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, over an alleged N5.78 billion fraud.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, the sixth prosecution witness, Suleiman Oluwadare Ishola—former Accountant-General of Kwara State (2013–2019)—testified that N1 billion, part of a Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) matching grant, was borrowed in 2015 by the Ahmed administration to pay salaries and pensions.
Ishola maintained that the defendants neither authorized the vouchers nor received direct payments from the borrowed funds. His testimony aligned with that of former SUBEB Chairman, Barrister Lanre Daibu, who had earlier confirmed that the state government approved the use of UBEC funds for salary payments.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel J.A. Mumini (SAN) and Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), Ishola concluded his testimony and was discharged.
The EFCC then called its seventh witness, Stanley Ujilibo, an Assistant Commander and member of the EFCC investigation team. Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Ujilibo said the commission received a petition dated April 17, 2024, from the Kwara State Director of Public Prosecution alleging diversion of UBEC funds meant for education projects across the state’s 16 local government areas.
Ujilibo explained that UBEC grants require a 50% counterpart funding and project defence before disbursement. He said the EFCC obtained action plans and contractor details from UBEC, and reviewed financial records from Polaris Bank and GTBank to trace the movement of funds.
He added that key officials—including Lanre Daibu, former SUBEB Permanent Secretary Dr. Musa Dasuki, SUBEB’s Director of Physical Planning Engr. Abdulsalam Olarewaju, and Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary Benjamin Fatigun—were all invited and made voluntary statements during the investigation.
Ujilibo further testified that both defendants voluntarily submitted written statements in the presence of their lawyers, with no objection raised to their admissibility as exhibits.
The case was adjourned to October 16 and 17, 2025, for further hearing.
