Alleged N109bn Fraud: Ex-AGF Idris, 3 Others Plead Not Guilty, Remanded In Prison

Justice Adeyemi Ajayi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has remanded a former Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Ahmed Idris, and two others in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) in Kuje Custodial Centre.

The court ordered that Idris and others should be kept at the Kuje facility pending the hearing of their bail applications on July 27.

They were remanded following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged N109bn fraud.

The other defendants are Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Ltd.

The Defendants are being prosecuted on a 14-count charge of stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109,485,572,691.9.

The EFCC alleged that Ahmed Idris between February and December, 2021 at Abuja, being a public servant by virtue of his position as the Accountant General of the Federation accepted from Olusegun Akindele, a gratification in the aggregate sum of N15,136,221,921.46 ( Fifteen Billion, One Hundred and Thirty Six Million, Two Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty One Naira and Forty Six Kobo) which sum was converted to the United States Dollars by the said Olusegun Akindele and which sum did not form part of your lawful remuneration but as a motive for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine (9) oil producing Sates in the Federation, through the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 155 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and punishable under the same section.

Count eight reads, “That you, Ahmed Idris while being the Accountant General of the Federation and Godfrey Olusegun Akindele while being the Technical Assistant to the Accountant General of the Federation between February and November, 2021, at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, in such capacity, entrusted with certain property, to wit: N84,390,000,000(Eighty-Four Billion, Three Hundred and Ninety Million Naira) committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property, when you dishonestly received the said sum from the Federal Government of Nigeria through Godfrey Olusegun Akindele trading under the name and style of Olusegun Akindele & Co., and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990”