Justice E. Gakko of the Federal High Court in Birnin-Kebbi has found Mr. Abubakar Bawa Makuku, the Sole Administrator and Caretaker Chairman of Sakaba Local Government Area in Kebbi State, and Mr. Ahmed Abdullahi Fakai, the Director of Finance and Supply of the same Local Government, guilty of contract fraud and abuse of office involving the sum of N54 million.
The Guardian says that the court found the two guilty of several crimes, including abuse of office, giving out fake contracts, and financial wrongdoing.
The court heard that Makuku gave out contracts in a fraudulent way and personally profited from the N10 million that was supposed to be used for official business by the local government.
One of the charges read: “That you, Ahmed Abdullahi Fakai, in June 2016 or thereabouts, at Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while serving as Director of Finance and Supply, withdrew a total of N54,000,000.00 (Fifty-Four Million Naira) from the Sakaba Local Government bank account at First Bank Nigeria Plc in six tranches of N9,000,000.00 each, with the intent to avoid the legal duty of reporting the said sum, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 19(1)(c) and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Another charge against the Sole Administrator said, “That you, Abubakar Bawa Makuku, in May 2016 or thereabouts, at Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State, while serving as Sole Administrator, used your office to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself by receiving N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) in cash from the Finance and Supply office of Sakaba Local Government. The money was meant for legitimate government business, but it was not used for that purpose, which is a crime under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The defendants had said they were not guilty of any of the counts against them. Justice Gakko, on the other hand, found them guilty as charged and sentenced them accordingly.
Fakai was given three years in prison or a fine of N2.5 million. Mr. Makuku was given four years in prison or a fine of N1 million to pay Sakaba Local Government, plus another N1.5 million fine.
Demola Bakare, the Director of Public Enlightenment and Education and Spokesperson for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), said today that during the trial, prosecution counsel Mr. Hamza Sani showed that Fakai illegally took N54 million from the Sakaba Local Government’s coffers in six payments of N9 million each, in a deliberate attempt to avoid following financial reporting rules.
About the Author
