The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of Mr. Garuba Mohammed Duku, a retired Director of Finance and Administration at the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), for a N318 million fraud involving public funds under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Duku was on Wednesday sentenced to 24 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court, Abuja, after Justice James Omotosho found him guilty on a six-count charge of corruption and money laundering filed by the ICPC in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.
According to the anti-graft agency, investigations revealed that between 2012 and 2013, Duku fraudulently diverted N318,250,000 belonging to AMMC into his personal Fidelity Bank account.
The funds, ICPC said, were released in several tranches, including N56.25 million, N71 million, N53 million, N54 million, N46 million, and N36.3 million, and later converted through Bureau de Change operators for “unauthorised purposes.”
During trial proceedings, ICPC prosecutors detailed how the former finance director abused his office by manipulating fund release processes in blatant violation of financial regulations governing public sector transactions.
The court dismissed Duku’s claim that the money was spent on instructions from his superiors, ruling that he failed to provide any evidence to support that defence.
In a damning judgment, Justice Omotosho said the prosecution had “proved its case beyond reasonable doubt,” noting that the magnitude and pattern of transactions pointed to deliberate theft of public funds.
He, therefore, sentenced the ex-director to four years imprisonment on each of the six counts, or an option of a fine equivalent to five times the amount stated in each count, bringing the total fine to about N1.6 billion.
The jail terms are to run concurrently.
The ICPC hailed the judgment as a major victory in the fight against entrenched corruption in the public service, saying it “underscores the Commission’s unwavering commitment to holding public officers accountable and ensuring that those who betray the public trust are brought to justice.”
