Court admits more exhibits in ex-Kwara gov’s N5.78bn corruption trial
A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday admitted additional exhibits in the ongoing N5.78bn corruption trial of former Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed and his former Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Ademola Banu.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting the duo for alleged diversion of funds, including Universal Basic Education Commission matching grants and counterpart funds meant for the provision of infrastructure in primary and junior secondary schools across the state.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, the sixth prosecution witness, Ujilibo, testified that the EFCC obtained bank statements of the Kwara State Government from Polaris Bank and Guaranty Trust Bank, covering loans secured to pay teachers’ salaries under the State Universal Basic Education Board.
“My Lord, we wrote to the then Skye Bank, now Polaris Bank, and Guaranty Trust Bank requesting statements of SUBEB accounts and merging grants for 2013 and 2014,” Ujilibo said.
He added that the banks supplied all the requested documents, which were subsequently tendered and admitted as exhibits.
However, proceedings were briefly stalled following a dispute between the prosecution and the defence over the arrangement of the documents.
Defence counsel, Mr Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), argued that the bundle presented in court differed from what had been served on the defence and was neither paginated nor properly organised.
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), countered that the documents were the same as those served on the defence and that it was not the prosecution’s responsibility to arrange them.
Justice Abdulgafar later adjourned the trial to February 16, 2026, to allow proper arrangement of the exhibits.
Speaking after the proceedings, Ajibade described the situation as “unacceptable in a criminal trial,” saying the defence must have an adequate opportunity to review evidence. Jacobs, however, maintained that the EFCC had fulfilled its duty.
The EFCC alleges that Ahmed and Banu approved the use of UBEC matching grant funds to pay civil servants’ salaries, contrary to the purpose for which the funds were released.
At a previous hearing, former Kwara State Accountant-General Suleiman Oluwadare Ishola testified that N1bn of UBEC matching grants was borrowed in 2015 to pay salaries and pensions.
