Court Adjourns Ex-Kwara Gov’s N5.78b SUBEB Fraud Trial to July 27

A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has adjourned the N5.78 billion fraud trial of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, until July 27, 2026. The postponement follows the sudden illness of the lead defense counsel, Gboyega Oyewole (SAN).

The political duo is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the alleged diversion of public funds belonging to the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

At the resumption of proceedings on Wednesday, co-defense counsel Ibn Mahmud notified the trial judge, Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, that the lead attorney was indisposed and unable to proceed with the cross-examination of the state’s star witness.

Before the adjournment, the sixth prosecution witness, Stanley Ujilibo, an Assistant Commander with the EFCC, testified about the financial details of the alleged diversion.

Ujilibo stated under oath that former Governor Ahmed approved a request from his finance commissioner to secure a N1 billion loan directly from the state’s SUBEB counterpart fund to pay civil servants’ salaries.

The anti-graft agency maintains that allocating specialized basic education funds for general salary payments violated the statutory guidelines governing the agency’s establishment.

During cross-examination, the EFCC investigator clarified that SUBEB operated as an independent entity with its own governing board, confirming that neither Ahmed nor Banu sat on that board.

Ujilibo also revealed that the EFCC did not freeze or audit the former governor’s personal bank accounts because the original petition triggering the investigation did not link the missing billions to any private account under Ahmed’s name. Furthermore, the investigator confirmed that none of the board’s internal accounting officers are currently standing trial alongside the former political leaders.

The defense also requested a delay to obtain copies of Ahmed’s asset declaration forms and previous statements given to the EFCC in Abuja to assist their cross-examination strategy.

While EFCC prosecutor Adebisi Adeniyi opposed this request, arguing the defense had plenty of time to secure those documents since the trial began in 2024, Justice Abdulgafar ruled that the defense could recall the witness later if needed. The court then officially adjourned the matter to July 27 for the continuation of cross-examination.