The trial of former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, over the alleged diversion of ₦5.78 billion belonging to the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), resumed on Monday before the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
Ahmed and Banu are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges bordering on the alleged diversion of SUBEB intervention funds.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, the sixth prosecution witness, Stanley Ujilibo, an EFCC operative, continued his cross-examination.
Ujilibo had earlier testified that former Governor Ahmed approved a request to obtain a ₦1 billion loan from the state’s SUBEB counterpart fund to offset workers’ salaries, following a request by then Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu.
During Monday’s proceedings, Ujilibo maintained that the 2013, 2014 and 2015 SUBEB intervention projects were meant to be executed exclusively by the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board under the supervision of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in accordance with the approved action plan.
He insisted that the projects were not state government projects.
The witness also disclosed that the petition that led to the EFCC’s investigation originated from the then Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ayoola Idowu.
Under cross-examination by counsel to the first defendant, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), Ujilibo said he could not confirm whether Idowu, who was a civil servant at the time, benefited from the alleged ₦1 billion loan used to pay workers’ salaries.
Responding to questions from Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), counsel to the second defendant, Ujilibo confirmed that although Banu was not a member of the SUBEB Board and not a signatory to the board’s accounts, he signed documents requesting the release of SUBEB funds and documents seeking the ₦1 billion loan from the SUBEB fund.
He added that the relevant documents had already been admitted in evidence before the court.
Following the conclusion of Ujilibo’s cross-examination, prosecution counsel, Adebisi Adeniyi, informed the court that the next prosecution witness, a banker, was unavailable because he was testifying in another court and requested an adjournment.
The defence did not oppose the application.
Justice Abdulgafar subsequently discharged the witness and adjourned the matter until November 9, 2026, for continuation of trial.
