Further Hearing in N5.78bn EFCC Case  against ex- Kwara Gov, Commissioner Stalled

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State High Court in Ilorin yesterday adjourned the continuation of the further  hearing on the alleged diversion of  N5.78billion by the immediate past governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed and his former Finance Commissioner, Alhaji Ademola Banu till February16, 2026.

The court,  however, ruled that the prosecuting agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ilorin zonal office, failed to properly arranged the documents put forward for prosecution of the case.

The duo have been standing trial over the alleged diversion of the funds while in office and it was instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC) Ilorin zonal office.

At the court yesterday, the principal witness 6, Mr. Stanley Ojilebu, told the court how he wrote letters to the management of Skye Bank now Polaris Bank and that of Guaranty Trust Bank(GTB) on the loans obtained by the state government to offset the payment of salaries of SUBEB teachers in the state.

He said: “We requested for the statement of SUBEB account details, state government account,  statement of account of merging grants of 2013 and 2014.

“And after the requests from the affected banks, the management of the banks responded and supplied all necessary accounts details requested for as regards the loan obtained to pay the SUBEB teachers and other financial transactions during the period.”

However, for several minutes, counsels to EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN)  and lead counsel to the  defendants,  Mr. Kamaldeen Ajibade, (SAN), argued about improper arrangement of documents served on the latter and same which was tendered before the court.

Jacobs had tendered the documents to be admitted as  exhibits before the court but counsel to the defendants insisted that the “bundle of documents” was different from what was served on them and were also not properly arranged nor numbered to guide the court in the proceedings.

Jacobs on the other hands argued that the documents  served the defence counsels and which were also available before the court were the same with the one in his possession.

He argued that it was not the duty of his team to number the documents as tendered for the defence counsels.

The issue therefore, caused a drama at the court.

After the development, the two counsels agreed for adjournment of the hearing on the matter.

In a chat with newsmens  after  the court yesterday, the counsel to ex- governor Ahmed, Mr. Kamal Ajibade (SAN) stated  that, “This is a criminal matter where prosecution ought to have served us proof of evidence before hand.

“Criminal matter is not supposed to be an ambush. What he served in us was not properly highlighted to assist us while tendering those documents, in order for us to take a look and know whether we’re objecting or not.

“The court then directed that proper thing should be done”.

Also speaking, the counsel to EFCC,  Jacobs said: “We served all documents sought to tender but they said that are not paginated and not in chronological order.

“Our duty is to forward the documents to them and not to arrange the documents for them.

“But they insisted that it should be in order and numbered in order to follow the proceedings.”

Delivering his ruling on the matter, the presiding judge, Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar ruled for the adjournment of the continuation of the case till February 16, 2026.

He therefore, said that, the development became imperative in view of the improper arrangement of the documents submitted to the court for prosecution of the case by the EFCC.