EFCC grills former Kwara governor, Ahmed

The immediate past governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has been invited to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for interrogation.

Ahmed governed the state between 2011 and 2019.

The former governor, in a short statement made to Premium Times, said the invitation was to clarify specific transactions and decisions taken while steering the ship of the state.

“Yesterday, I was at the Ilorin Zonal office of EFCC on invitation. During the session, I clarified specific budgeted transactions and board-approved decisions of a government body while I was governor. No allegation of fraud was made against me. I have since returned home,” he wrote.

Ahmed’s successor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, had inaugurated panels to probe the sales of state-owned properties and assets starting from 1999.

He also inaugurated another panel to look into the finances of local governments and their activities since 1999.

These panels have indicted some officials under the previous administrations.

Also, the former Commissioner for Finance under Ahmed, Ademola Banu, was arraigned for alleged N411 million money laundering.

He was arraigned alongside Travel Messenger Company Limited and one Olarewaju Adeniyi, on nine counts before Justice Babangana Ashigar of the Federal High Court, Ilorin.

The immediate past chairperson of state Scholarship Board, Fatimah Yusuf, and two others who were allegedly involved in bursary fraud, were arraigned before Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the State High Court, Ilorin.

According to the EFCC, the trio were arraigned on a seven-count charge for their alleged involvement in bursary fraud in the state, to the tune of N50 million.

However, none of those mentioned had been convicted.