Court jails former acting AGF Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku over N868m fraud case

A former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, has been convicted and sentenced to prison over an alleged N868.46 million fraud case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The conviction was delivered on Monday by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Nwabuoku was prosecuted on a nine-count amended charge bordering on money laundering involving N868,465,000. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges, prompting a full trial during which the EFCC presented nine witnesses.

The case followed an earlier ruling by the court dismissing the defendant’s no-case submission and directing him to enter his defence after establishing a prima facie case against him.

Nwabuoku subsequently opened his defence, testifying before the court in response to the allegations.

Delivering judgment, Justice Omotosho held that the evidence presented by the EFCC sufficiently established that the former AGF was involved in laundering the funds. The court consequently found him guilty and handed down a custodial sentence.

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During the trial, EFCC counsel, Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), argued that the offences contravened provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended). He told the court that large sums of money were channelled through four companies described as “front companies” without any legitimate transaction with the Ministry of Defence.

However, defence counsel, Norrison I Quakers (SAN), challenged the jurisdiction of the EFCC to prosecute the matter. The court dismissed the argument, maintaining that the evidence required a full defence, particularly on allegations of conspiracy and money laundering.

Investigations into the case had earlier led to the recovery of N220 million and a duplex linked to the former AGF, which he refunded to the EFCC. The recovery was disclosed in an ex parte motion filed before Justice Mohammed Umar, seeking to freeze multiple bank accounts connected to the suspect.

The EFCC noted that the refund and property forfeiture were part of ongoing investigations into alleged financial crimes, separate from but related to the charges that led to his conviction.

Nwabuoku was appointed Acting Accountant-General of the Federation on May 22, 2022, by former President Muhammadu Buhari, pending investigations into the then suspended AGF, Ahmed Idris. He was later arraigned by the anti-graft agency over the allegations that culminated in his conviction.

The judgment marks another high-profile conviction in Nigeria’s ongoing anti-corruption efforts, as authorities continue to pursue financial crimes involving public officials.