The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has presented additional witnesses in the ongoing trial of former Kwara State Governor, Mallam Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, over an alleged N5.78 billion fraud.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin yesterday, the sixth prosecution witness testified that officials of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) raised vouchers for a N1 billion loan.

The witness, Suleiman Oluwadare Ishola, who was the state’s Accountant-General from 2013 to 2019, had earlier testified on Friday, April 11, 2025.

He told the court that the N1 billion, a UBEC matching grant, was borrowed by the Ahmed administration in 2015 to pay civil servants and pensioners.

Ishola said none of the defendants authorised the vouchers nor received any direct payments from the borrowed funds.

His account corroborated the earlier testimony of Barrister Lanre Daibu, a former SUBEB Chairman, who confirmed that the state government had formally approved the use of the UBEC matching grant for salary payments.

Under cross-examination by defence counsels J.A. Mumini and Gboyega Oyewole (SANs), representing Ahmed and Banu, respectively, called their seventh witness (PW7), Stanley Ujilibo, an Assistant Commander of the EFCC and a member of the investigation team.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Ujilibo narrated the sequence of events that led to the prosecution of the defendants.

He said that the EFCC received a petition on April 17, 2024, from Akande Idowu Ayoola, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), on behalf of the Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, alleging the diversion of UBEC funds meant for educational infrastructure across the state’s 16 local government areas.

However, an Assistant Director at UBEC, Hassan Abubakar, submitted action plans for the 2013–2015 fiscal years, including contractor’s names and project costs.

Ujilibo explained that states are required to provide a 50 per cent counterpart fund to access UBEC matching grants, and that project proposals must first be defended before a UBEC committee before funds are disbursed.

He further testified that the EFCC invited several key officials, Lanre Daibu; SUBEB’s Director of Physical Planning, Engr. Abdulsalam Olarewaju, former SUBEB Permanent Secretary, Dr. Musa Dasuki, Accountant-General Ishola, and the then Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Benjamin Fatigun, all of whom gave voluntary statements.

The EFCC also obtained financial records from Polaris Bank and Guaranty Trust Bank, both of which managed SUBEB accounts, to trace the flow and application of the UBEC funds.

Ujilibo confirmed that both defendants were invited and gave statements voluntarily in the presence of their legal representatives.

The court admitted these extra-judicial statements as exhibits, with no objection from the defence.

The case was adjourned to October 16 and 17, 2025, for further hearing.