Six staff members of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) have been arraigned in the High Court sitting in Ilorin for their alleged involvement in a N96 million fraud.
The accused, who were presented before Justice Akanbi of the State High Court, are facing prosecution by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They are charged with breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds between 2018 and 2020.
The EFCC, through its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, revealed that the accused were involved in converting public funds belonging to the Kwara State Government for their personal use. The six individuals, named in the case, are Ahmed Husain Olarewaju (Director, Finance and Supply), Omole Omololu John (Controller, Finance and Accounts), Fatai Oyerinde (Coordinator, Salary Unit), Mujeeb Ibrahim (Executive Officer, Account and Salary Schedule), Salami Temitope Bashir, and Dauda Aweda Quozim (staff of the Salary Unit).
The charges specify that between 2018 and 2019, the accused misappropriated large sums of money, including N33,891,982.37 and N30,406,629.09, which were part of the state SUBEB funds.
When the charges were read to the defendants, they pleaded “not guilty.” Prosecution counsel Andrew Akoja requested that the court set a trial date and remand the accused in the Nigerian Correctional Centre. The defense counsel, led by Abdullahi Lawal, made oral bail applications for their clients.
Justice Akanbi adjourned the case to Wednesday, April 16, 2025, for trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded in custody.
