By Newspot Nigeria News Desk
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 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds resumed on Monday at the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, with fresh revelations from the prosecution.
An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Stanley Ujilibo, testified as the sixth prosecution witness before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar, detailing how funds released for basic education between 2013 and 2015 were allegedly diverted from their approved purposes.
According to the witness, the funds were released after the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) submitted detailed action plans and evidence of counterpart funding to access matching grants meant to improve primary and junior secondary education across the state’s 16 local government areas.
Ujilibo told the court that senior SUBEB officials, including the chairman, directors, and project managers, travelled to Abuja to defend the action plans, citing the poor state of basic education infrastructure in Kwara State. However, investigations allegedly revealed that the released UBEC matching grants were transferred from dedicated accounts into the Kwara State Government’s central account domiciled with a commercial bank.
The EFCC witness disclosed that portions of the funds were spent on projects such as the reconstruction of Omosebi Bridge, Coca-Cola Road Bridge, Michael Imodu–Afon Junction Road, Lafiaji Township Road, and the rehabilitation of the Ilorin water supply network. He stressed that while these were public infrastructure projects, they had no direct connection to basic education.
Further testimony revealed that ₦952.29 million from the 2014 UBEC allocation was allegedly used to liquidate a loan, while a separate request reportedly signed by the second defendant sought approval to obtain a ₦1 billion loan from SUBEB counterpart funds to augment workers’ salaries.
The prosecution maintained that funds statutorily meant to improve classrooms, learning facilities, and conditions for pupils in primary and junior secondary schools were deployed for purposes outside the scope approved by UBEC and without direct benefit to students.
Following the conclusion of the examination-in-chief, Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the case to April 20, 2026, for cross-examination of the prosecution witness.
Newspot Nigeria will continue to follow the proceedings and provide updates as the trial progresses.
