A state High Court in Ilorin, has remanded six officials of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) over misappropriation of N96 million public funds.
The accused include Ahmed Olarewaju, SUBEB’s state Director of Finance and Supply; Omololu John, Controller of Finance and Accounts; Fatai Oyerinde, Coordinator of salary Unit; Mujeeb Ibrahim, Executive Officer of account and Salary Schedule; and Salami Temitope Bashir and Dauda Aweda Quozim, both staff of the Salary Unit in the Kwara SUBEB.
In a statement released by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, six of them were remanded after being arraigned before Justice Akanbi, on a four-count charge bordering on breach of trust and misappropriation of funds.
One of the charges reads, “That you, Ahmed Husain Olarewaju, Omole Omololu, Fatai Oyerinde, Mujeeb Ibrahim and Bashir Temitope Salami, between September 2018 and December 2018 at Ilorin, within the judicial division of the Kwara State High Court, being public officers in the service of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB) and in such capacity entrusted with a certain property to wit; the gross sum of N33,891,982.37 (Thirty-Three Million, Eight Hundred and Ninety-One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Eighty-Two Naira, Thirty-Seven Kobo) which sum formed part of the Kwara State SUBEB funds in account No: 0031236028 domiciled at Sterling Bank Plc, and you thereby committed the offence of criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code.”
Another charge reads: “That you, Ahmed Husain Olarewaju, Omole Omololu, Fatai Oyerinde, Mujeeb Ibrahim and Bashir Temitope Salami, between January 2019 and June 2019 of Ilorin, within the judicial division of the Kwara State High Court, being public officers in the service of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board and in such capacity entrusted with a certain property to wit: the gross sum of N30,406,629.09 (Thirty Million, Four Hundred and Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Twenty Nine Naira, Nine Kobo) which sum formed part of the Kwara State SUBEB funds in account no: 0031236028 domiciled at Stealing Bank Plc, and you thereby Committed the offence of criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code.”
After hearing the charges levelled against them, Olarewaju and five others pleaded not guilty, prompting their counsel, led by Abdullahi Lawal, to make an oral bail application for the defendants’ release.
However, the prosecution counsel, Andrew Akoja, opposed their bail application and prayed the court to remand them in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre.
Following a thorough review of evidence presented before him, Justice Akanbi adjourned the case till April 16 and ordered that the defendants be remanded in Nigerian Correctional Centre, Ilorin.
