Ex-FCTA Director Jailed 24 Years Over ₦318m Fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the condemnation of a retired Director of Finance and Administration with the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Garuba Duku, implicit a ₦318 cardinal fraud.

In a judgement delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Duku was sentenced to 24 years successful situation aft being recovered blameworthy connected a six-count complaint bordering connected corruption and wealth laundering.

According to a connection released connected Thursday by the ICPC’s Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, Demola Bakare, the offences were committed betwixt 2012 and 2013 erstwhile Duku allegedly diverted ₦318,250,000 belonging to AMMC into his idiosyncratic relationship with Fidelity Bank Plc.

Bakare explained that investigations revealed the funds were received successful respective instalments, ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million, and ₦36.3 cardinal and aboriginal transferred to Bureau de Change operators for unauthorised transactions.

“ICPC prosecutors told the tribunal that the transactions violated authorities fiscal regulations and that Duku’s actions were a wide maltreatment of nationalist trust,” the connection read.

During the trial, Duku claimed that helium handed the funds implicit to his superiors, but the tribunal dismissed the defence for deficiency of evidence.

In his ruling, Justice Omotosho held that “the prosecution proved its lawsuit beyond a tenable doubt”, describing the ICPC’s grounds arsenic “credible, consistent, and capable to found the offences charged.”

Consequently, the justice sentenced Duku to 4 years imprisonment connected each of the six counts, with an enactment of good equivalent to 5 times the magnitude progressive successful each number amounting to astir ₦1.6 billion. The sentences are to tally concurrently.

Reacting to the verdict, Bakare hailed the judgement arsenic a important triumph successful the Commission’s anti-corruption drive.

“This judgement underscores ICPC’s unwavering committedness to ensuring that nationalist officers who betray the spot reposed successful them are brought to justice,” helium said.

“No 1 entrusted with nationalist funds is supra the law, and this condemnation sends a beardown connection that corruption volition not spell unpunished.”

Bakare added that the Commission would proceed to prosecute each cases of graft with “diligence and professionalism” to safeguard nationalist resources.

The ICPC, established successful 2000, is 1 of Nigeria’s foremost anti-corruption agencies empowered to analyse and prosecute cases of fiscal misconduct nether the ICPC Act and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.

This latest condemnation adds to the Commission’s increasing grounds of palmy prosecutions. In May 2024, it secured the condemnation of Christopher Oluchukwu, a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant, for defrauding occupation seekers. Similarly, successful May 2019, a erstwhile ICPC committee nominee, Dr. Saad Alanamu, and Salman Sulaiman, were sentenced to 24 years imprisonment for bribery-related offences.