Court Admits Former Governor Abdulfatah to Bail, Fixes New Date For Trial

A Federal High Court in Ilorin on Monday admitted to bail former gov­ernor of Kwara State, Mall. Ahmed Abdulfatah, and Ademola Banu, his commis­sioner for Finance, when he held the reins of governance to bail in an ongoing N5.7 billion fraud charges pre­ferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC.)

Presiding judge, Mahmud Abdulgafar, having listened to counsel of both the prose­cution and defendant opted to use the court’s discretion on the bail matter while also adjourning the matter till December 4 and 5, 2024 for commencement of trial.

The counsel urged the court to exercise its discre­tion to admit the first and second defendants to bail as all the offences levelled against them are bailable.

Ruling on the applica­tions, Justice Abdulgafar admitted the former gov­ernor (Abdulfatah) and his co-traveler, Banu, to bail in the sum of N100million with two sureties each. One of the sureties must be a per­manent secretary serving or retired.

EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Direc­torate, had re-arraigned the immediate past governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed alongside his Fi­nance Commissioner, Ade­mola Banu on a 14-count amended charge bordering on alleged stealing and mis­management of public funds to the tune of N5.78billion before Justice Mahmud Ab­dulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

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Their re-arraignment was sequel to the transfer of the former trial judge, Justice Ev­elyn Anyadike of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin to another division.

Governor Abdulfatah and Banu were first arraigned on a 12-count charge of mis­management of public funds before Justice Anyadike on April 29, 2024, to which they pleaded not guilty. Howev­er, the presiding judge was transferred in the course of trial. Hence, the case has to start de-novo