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.
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
