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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has successfully secured a 24-year prison sentence for Mr Garuba Duku, a retired Director of Finance and Administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, under the Federal Capital Territory Administration, for his involvement in a ₦318 million fraud.
This information was contained in a statement issued to journalists by the Director of Public Enlightenment and Education at the commission, Mr Demola Bakare, on Thursday.
The ICPC, one of Nigeria’s foremost anti-corruption agencies, founded in 2000, is tasked with investigating and prosecuting acts of corruption and public financial misconduct in accordance with laws such as the ICPC Act and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
According to the statement, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, found Duku guilty of a six-count charge related to corruption and money laundering, brought against him by the ICPC in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.
“According to ICPC investigations, between 2012 and 2013, Duku fraudulently diverted ₦318,250,000 belonging to AMMC into his personal account with Fidelity Bank Plc.”
“The court heard that the funds were received in several instalments — ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million, and ₦36.3 million — and later transferred to Bureau de Change operators for unauthorised purposes.”
“ICPC prosecutors told the court that the transactions violated government financial regulations and that Duku’s actions were ‘a clear abuse of public trust’,” the statement partly read.
The statement further explained that during the court proceedings, Duku had claimed he handed the funds to his superiors, but the court dismissed this defence due to a lack of supporting evidence.
In his verdict, Omotosho stated that “the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt”, adding that the ICPC’s evidence “was credible, consistent, and sufficient to establish the offences charged.”
“Consequently, the judge sentenced Duku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts or an option of a fine equivalent to five times the amount involved in each count, amounting to about ₦1.6 billion. The sentences are to run concurrently,” it added.
Responding to the verdict, Bakare described the conviction as a significant milestone in the commission’s anti-corruption efforts.
“This judgement underscores ICPC’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that public officers who betray the trust reposed in them are brought to justice,” Bakare said.
“No one entrusted with public funds is above the law, and this conviction sends a strong message that corruption will not go unpunished.”
Bakare further assured that the commission would persist in tackling all corruption-related cases with diligence and professionalism to protect public funds.
In May 2024, the ICPC also achieved the conviction of a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant, Christopher Oluchukwu, who was found guilty of defrauding individuals who were seeking employment opportunities for their children.
Likewise, in May 2019, a former nominee to the ICPC board, Dr Saad Alanamu, along with Salman Sulaiman, received 24-year prison sentences for engaging in bribery-related offences.
Alanamu had also served as Chairman of the Governing Council of Kwara State Polytechnic in Ilorin, while Sulaiman was the Chief Executive Director of Namylas Nigeria Limited.
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