Former FCTA Director Gets 24 Years for N318m Graft

A retired Director of Finance and Administration with the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Garuba Duku, has been handed a 24-year jail sentence for a N318 million fraud.

The sentence was announced by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in a statement released to journalists on Thursday, October 9 through the Commission’s Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, Mr. Demola Bakare.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice James Omotosho found Duku guilty on a six-count charge bordering on corruption and money laundering, brought against him by the ICPC in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/608/2022.

“According to ICPC investigations, between 2012 and 2013, Duku fraudulently diverted N318,250,000 belonging to AMMC into his personal account with Fidelity Bank Plc.

“The court heard that the funds were received in several instalments — N56.25 million, N71 million, N53 million, N54 million, N46 million, and N36.3 million — and later transferred to Bureau de Change operators for unauthorized purposes.

“ICPC prosecutors told the court that the transactions violated government financial regulations and that Duku’s actions were “a clear abuse of public trust”, the statement partly read.

During the trial, Duku had claimed that the funds were handed over to his superiors, but the court dismissed the claim for lack of evidence.

Omotosho ruled:“The prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt”, adding that the evidence presented by the ICPC “was credible, consistent, and sufficient to establish the offences charged.”

“Consequently, the judge sentenced Duku to four years’ imprisonment on each of the six counts or an option of fine equivalent to five times the amount involved in each count — amounting to about N1.6 billion. The sentences are to run concurrently.”

Reacting to the judgment, Bakare, described the conviction as a major victory in the commission’s fight against corruption.

“This judgment underscores ICPC’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that public officers who betray the trust reposed in them are brought to justice.

“No one entrusted with public funds is above the law, and this conviction sends a strong message that corruption will not go unpunished,” he said.

Bakare said the commission would continue to pursue all cases of graft with diligence and professionalism to safeguard public resources.

The ICPC is one of Nigeria’s principal anti-corruption agencies, established in 2000 by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

Its mandate includes investigating and prosecuting cases of corruption and public financial mismanagement under laws such as the ICPC Act and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.