Court Jails Kebbi LG Chairman Over N54m Fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the condemnation of the sole head and caretaker president of Sakaba section authorities country of Kebbi State, Mr. Abubakar Bawa Makuku, for declaration fraud and maltreatment of bureau involving the sum of N54 million.

Also convicted was the manager of Finance and Supply, Mr. Ahmed Abdullahi Fakai.

The duo was arraigned earlier Justice E. Gakko of the Federal High Court sitting successful Birnin-Kebbi connected aggregate counts bordering connected maltreatment of office, fraudulent declaration awards and fiscal misconduct.

ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, said during the trial, prosecution counsel, Mr. Hamza Sani, presented grounds showing that Dakai unlawfully withdrew a full of N54 cardinal from the coffers of Sakaba Local Government successful six tranches of N9 cardinal each, successful a deliberate effort to evade fiscal reporting protocols.

The tribunal besides heard however Makuku corruptly awarded contracts without pursuing owed process and personally benefited from the diversion of N10 cardinal earmarked for authoritative engagements of the section government.

One of the charges read: “That you, Ahmed Abdullahi Fakai, successful June 2016 oregon thereabout, astatine Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State, wrong the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, portion serving arsenic Director of Finance and Supply, withdrew a full of N54,000,000.00 from the Sakaba Local Government slope relationship astatine First Bank Nigeria Plc successful six tranches of N9,000,000.00 each, with the intent to debar the ineligible work of reporting the said sum, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 19(1)(c) and punishable nether Section 19(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”

Another complaint read: “That you, Abubakar Bawa Makuku, successful May 2016 oregon thereabout, astatine Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State, portion serving arsenic Sole Administrator, utilized your bureau to confer corrupt vantage upon yourself by receiving N10,000,000.00 successful currency from the Finance and Supply bureau of Sakaba Local Government. The funds were designated for authoritative authorities activities but were not utilized for their intended purpose, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable nether Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”

The defendants had pleaded not blameworthy to each the charges preferred against them.

However, successful his judgrment, Justice Gakko recovered the duo blameworthy arsenic charged and convicted them accordingly.

Fakai was sentenced to 3 years successful imprisonment oregon a good of N2.5 million, portion Makuku received a four-year jailhouse word oregon a good of N1 cardinal arsenic compensation to Sakaba Local Government, successful summation to different N1.5 million fine.