Retired FCTA Director bags 24 years jail term for ₦318m fraud

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Justice James Omotosho of Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced one Mr. Garuba Mohammed Duku, a retired Director of Finance and Administration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration to 24 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of N318 million fraud.

Duku was arraigned before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a six-count charge of corruption and money laundering involving the sum of ₦318 million 2022.

Duku, who worked as Director of Finance and Administration with the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) under FCTA, according to ICPC, between 2012 and 2013 fraudulently diverted ₦318,250,000 belonging to Council into his personal account, which was domiciled at Fidelity Bank Plc.

ICPC said its findings showed that Duku received multiple payments totaling the said sum, including ₦56.25 million, ₦71 million, ₦53 million, ₦54 million, ₦46 million, and ₦36.3 million, which were subsequently transferred to Bureau de Change operators and expended for unauthorized purposes.

During the trial, ICPC successfully demonstrated that the defendant’s method of fund release and withdrawal was fraudulent and in violation of extant government financial regulations.

The Commission also refuted Mr. Duku’s claim that the funds were disbursed to his superiors, as no evidence was produced to substantiate the assertion.

In his judgment, Justice Omotosho held that the totality of evidence and witness testimonies presented by the Commission proved the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Consequently, the court sentenced Mr. Duku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts, or an option of fine equivalent to five times the amount stated in each count, totaling approximately ₦1.6 billion.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

This conviction underscores ICPC’s unwavering commitment to holding public officers accountable and ensuring that those who betray the public trust through corrupt practices are brought to justice in accordance with the law.